


Burning Embers

by zeze_moonlight



Category: VIXX
Genre: Alternate Universe - Industrial Revolution, Alternate Universe - Steampunk, Angst, Haken because there is not enough Haken stories, M/M, Minor Original Character(s), Peasant jaehwan, Romance, Sexual Content, Some Fluff, Strangers to Lovers, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, rich hakyeon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-11
Updated: 2019-08-25
Packaged: 2019-11-14 13:37:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 27
Words: 71,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18053519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zeze_moonlight/pseuds/zeze_moonlight
Summary: In the industrial and developing society of a unified Korea, the population is split up into three groups; higher class, middle class, and lower class. It's a higher class dominated society, the lower class, not even allowed into the Higher zone of the city. Hakyeon is from the higher class, and as their country is still recovering from the war fifteen years prior, it's a time of peace and order. As he meets the factory worker, Jaehwan, on a cold rainy evening, helping him fix up his metal protection gear, Hakyeon gets a chance to see what the life of the lower class truly is, and Jaehwan finally finds someone who cares for him. But in a society where relationships between different social classes are frowned upon, the path to finding happiness and peace is a difficult one.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A new story! This AU will only contain Hakyeon and Jaehwan, the other members will not make an appearance. I am very excited to start this story and share it with you. It was based off one of my own drawings that I posted on Twitter at the end of February.
> 
> Link: https://twitter.com/Zeze_moonlight/status/1100463522021019649
> 
> Hakyeon's family members will be mentioned throughout, but since we do not know their names, I took creative liberty and chose names for them.

The sky is cloudy, the rain pouring down onto the soft ground, small puddles forming on the soft soil. Hakyeon can’t see out over the bridge, not even see the blimps that are normally flying around. Even if all the clouds and fog was gone, he doubts he would be able to see any of them. It’s raining too much for them to safely fly around. But it’s still strange for the fog to be so far down, in the lower area of the city, it’s the smallest bridge of three, connecting to the other side of the city. The factory side.

He has never really walked this route before, but he needed to get out of the house. He has been alone for the past couple of days, and the large empty rooms are slowly driving him insane. The servants are only there during the day and the cooks do not want him in the kitchen. They say he disturbs them. He is not allowed to talk to the housemates unless necessary, and walking around in their garden is also becoming boring to him. He is walking in a zone he’s technically not allowed to walk in. It’s marked as the Unsafe Zone or Red Zone, depending on who is asked. He has always heard rumors of the Red Zone, of how scary it is and how there are homeless people sleeping on the streets, beggars going around and people eating trash from the ground. But he has seen none of that. Maybe he just isn’t looking in the right places but here, it’s quiet and calm. Nothing out of the ordinary. If he didn’t know better, he would believe he was just walking in the Midway Zone. The air here is a little more polluted than the air in their zone, but it’s still breathable enough for him to walk around without a mask on. He would have asked a servant to come along, maybe to hold his umbrella while he walks around, but they would never have allowed him to walk here. He has never properly explored this area of the city, even thinking about it, he has never explored much of the city. Only the areas where he was allowed to wander. Just walking around in a quiet city brings him a new form of calmness and meditation. There are so few people walking around on the bridge. It is also very late, it is to be expected of them. But he would have thought most factory workers would be returning home by now, yet he has seen none. The factory his parents own is close by, most of them should be ending their shift now. Maybe they take a different route than this.

Hakyeon pulls his coat tighter around him, checking the buttons. He did, accidentally, grab the jacket with his brother’s medals on. The medals he received in the war many years ago. A service medal, flight medal formed as an eagle and then a Diplomatic Service Medal; a round medal with the country inside of it. It probably is not the best idea to talk around here with valuable medals, but he does have a small pocket knife inside his inner pocket. He would be able to protect himself if absolutely necessary. The sound of the rain hitting his umbrella, it’s hypnotic. Peaceful, making him slightly drowsy. He stops near one of the pillars. It’s one of the few pillars that still seems intact. All the other ones are slightly broken or have some form of damage done onto it. Even the symbol at the bottom is intact.

As he stares, a small groan close by draws his attention. The light on the bridge is very weak, only coming slightly from the light on top of the pillars, and even then, it’s frail. A dark silhouette, sitting up against the next pillar in the rain is where the groan came from. The light on that pillar is close to non-existing and just casts a bland spotlight down onto the man. It seems to be a factory worker based on the metal pieces wrapping around his shoulder and legs, goggles hanging around his neck. But that’s not what is standing out, it’s the rose hanging from his belt. It’s wet, the rain drenching the worker, bouncing off the metal piece on his shoulder.

Hakyeon slowly approaches him, trying to be silent as to not scare him. 

“Are you okay?” Hakyeon asks him.

The man looks up at him, shocked and surprised. His cheeks are rosy, the tips of his ears are red as well from the old evening. He nods, gripping onto the forms and edges of the pillar to raise himself up the ground again. He does not speak and avoid looking at him at any cost, looking down at the ground where his feet are. Hakyeon reaches his umbrella forward so it's covering the factory worker, making himself slightly exposed to the cold rain. This action makes him look, his eyes large and lips formed into a thin line. Hakyeon smiles at him.

The man groans again, holding tightly around his thigh where one of the metal pieces are. Hakyeon looks down at it. It's severely rusted and damaged, properly from the work and the rain is making it heavy and tight around him.

“Your leg piece is broken. Rust is not good for your skin, especially not when working where you do.”

The man makes a face of disgust for a short moment before going back to neutral.

“It’s fine,” the man says, his voice soft and surprisingly high pitched.

“Were you trying to force it off before?” Hakyeon asks. The man nods slowly of shame. Trying to pry off a metal piece can be dangerous, especially if rusted. Some of his hands might be covered in metal as well, but even just the smallest cut from the rust can cause dangerous disease and sickness, worst case scenario, even death. Hakyeon could very easily just leave the man for himself, give him a piece of small advice on how to remove it and then just return home, forget about it completely. He bites the inside of his cheek before deciding on what to do.

“Come with me, I can pry it off for you, safely, of course.”

The man looks at Hakyeon, his eyes specifically going over his clothing, the blue velvet with Victorian print, perfectly white gloves, golden buttons and a gold rim around the umbrella handle and of course, his eyes resting a few seconds longer on the medals. But Hakyeon can see there is no lust in his eyes, not for the medals as thieves would have. His eyes are sad and tired.

“I am not supposed to wander around with a Higher Class, I am not allowed to enter the Higher Zone.”

He could see just from his clothing that he is from the higher class. While Hakyeon is allowed to wander everywhere he wants to, some areas might not be as safe, he can still go anywhere. People from the factories and in the lower class are only allowed in one zone, the Red Zone they are currently in. People from different zones should not be interacting with each other, it is frowned upon in their culture and social standards.

“But it's properly better than you getting tetanus trying to rip it off. Please, let me help you. There will be no guards stopping you, I'll make sure of that,” Hakyeon pleads.

It's probably the first time this man has ever met anyone from the higher class plead like this. Especially in this topic. Most Higher Class treat the Red Zone as if it doesn't exist. It's not their problem so why should they care about them? The man looks down at the ground once again, looking at the rusted metal before nodding. Hakyeon smiles, slowly reaching out to take his arm.

“Are you able to walk?” he asks.

“A little, but not fast nor a lot.”

“Okay, when we get to the Middle Zone, we will take a taxi. Come, it's not far away.”

The middle zone and the higher zone might be different but their borders sometimes blend together. There are also multiple classes inside the middle zone, Hakyeon having a few friends and mutuals in the upper middle class, where his family was before they opened their factory. Taking a taxi from the middle zone to the higher class is no problem for him. He does it often. Hakyeon helps the man over to the entrance to the Middle Zone. There stand guards in their white uniforms. They are made of incredibly thick material to make themselves look more intimidating but it just makes them look chubby and round.

The entrance is of nothing special, it’s a large metal and bronze gate with no decorations on them. The guards stop Hakyeon before he gets to enter. It’s no longer raining so he closes down his umbrella, finding his passport in his inner pocket. The guard looks at the factory worker, eyeing him with an impatient grin.

“He’s with me,” Hakyeon says. 

“Sure, but he still needs to show some form of ID before he can enter. It’s the law.” 

“What a -”

“Here,” the man says, handing over a piece of paper. It looks old and worn, but the guard takes it and looks at it. “It’s my audit working paper, with all my information.”

The guard looks up and down onto the man before nodding and handing it back to him. He folds it together, laying it inside of his deep pant pocket.

“You are free to enter,” the guard says, Hakyeon helping the man in again. As he stands by the side of one of the roads, waving after a taxi, he stares every now and then over at the man, sitting down on the ground, touching the rusted metal with his fingers. His fingers are also wrapped in small pieces of metal and so is his palm. 

“I just realized, I never asked for your name,” Hakyeon says.

“Jaehwan,” he answers. “Yours?”

“Hakyeon. What do you do at the factory?”

“I mostly work with the shaping and forming of metals, primarily steel. I also do stone and woodwork sometimes.”

“Oh wow, that’s a lot you do …” He was nearly about to ask if he earned a lot. If he did, he would probably not be walking around with rusted metal accessories. It’s the factory workers that do most of the work on everything in the city, yet they are all living in the Red Zone. Hakyeon hates seeing the factory workers working under bad conditions. 

A reason why he never goes to his family’s factory. His parents own multiple factories around town, having built up an empire from scratch as some would like to call it, but also seen as having cheated. They are not old rich as the others, their money has not gone through generations of the family. The people at the parties refer to them as new rich, seen as lesser."What's with the rose?" he asks instead, seeing Jaehwan holding his hand over the stem to keep it from falling out. "I found it outside the factory, near a rose bush. I've been watching it since I first discovered it, waiting for it to bloom. Such things normally don't grow in this area so I just took the first one to bloom. I'll take it home with me to press." Hakyeon let his arm fall down to his side, watching Jaehwan as he looks down at the rose, admiring the pedals of the flower. A sense of guilt fills him. Their family has many rose bushes, blossoms, rapeseed flowers, and even azalea, and his family barely ever look at them despite how much the gardeners put time into managing them. And here is this man, smiling down and appreciating just a small simple rose. How can he have ended up in such an environment? A taxi finally comes up and hold in, Hakyeon helping Jaehwan in standing up and helping him inside the taxi. He informs the chauffeur of the address and he starts driving in the direction. 

Both of them stay quiet during the entire journey, it slowly starting to rain again as they drive. Hakyeon every now and then look over at Jaehwan and down at the rose. After a bit the chauffeur pulls at the gates of the Higher Zone, a guard in a white uniform with golden accents coming up to the window.

“Hello sir, what are they doing here at night?” the guard asks.

“Driving them home,” the chauffeur says, rolling down the window at Hakyeon’s side.

“Good evening Jae-geun hyung,” Hakyeon says, smiling.

“Ah, Hakyeon, good evening. Returning home?”

“Yes, I am. Leaving for home soon?”

“A few more hours. Well, welcome back, you just enter," he says, signaling for the other guards to open the gates.

Hakyeon gives him a small wave as the taxi chauffeur starts driving again. Jaehwan looks at him, not shocked or anger but something else in his eyes. Something Hakyeon can’t really read. They drive up to the front of the garden of the house, Hakyeon paying the driver before helping Jaehwan out. Hakyeon struggles with the umbrella while Jaehwan just stares at the house in front of him. It’s a large dark brown brick estate, two and a half levels with a small tower on the side of the house, surrounded by a small pond going around the entire house, a small stone bridge walking over the pond to get to the house.

“Come, before the rain becomes too much,” Hakyeon says, holding the umbrella over the both of them.

They walk together up the pavement and up the stairs to the front doors, which Hakyeon unlocks and open for them to enter. Jaehwan stares around the entrance, looking up at the paintings, the white clean walls with the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Hakyeon takes off his jacket, revealing the white shirt underneath, hanging it on the nearest chair and putting the umbrella next to the door. He finally gets a good view of Jaehwan, seeing his dirty brown colored clothing, the scraps around his face, messy and dirty hair and the large bags under his eyes. Still, he stands, hand resting on the stem.

“The tools are downstairs,” he says, guiding him over to the basement stairs.

“It’s a lovely home,” Jaehwan says as they walk down the stairs.

“Ha, yes, the basement truly is the best part of the house. It’s not really anything special. It’s the smallest of all the houses in this area. It’s in here, sit down.”

Jaehwan looks around on where to sit. There are no chairs around them, only work tables. Hakyeon finds the tools he would need to make a clean cutting on the metal without causing damage on Jaehwan. It used to be his brother’s workshop, where his father and them would build stuff together, but after his brother died in the war, he is the only one who still goes down here. If it stood to his father, the workshop would have been emptied out for something else, but Hakyeon refused, wanting it to stay the way it was. All of his brother's things are here, his childhood memories, toys, whatever his brother felt was important enough to save.

He lets out a small sigh, finding the knife. He turns towards Jaehwan who seems terrified as he sits on one of the tables, sweating and seemingly on the edge of a breakdown. He took the rose out and laid it on the table.

“Where do you live? Alone, or with someone else?” Hakyeon asks him to draw his attention onto something else, as he starts looking at the metal on his thigh. Luckily, the cutting mark is on his outer thigh.

“I live alone, in a one-room apartment. It’s in a relatively empty building. It’s my first time being in such a large house.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, it must have been overwhelming,” he says, laughing. Jaehwan laughs a little as well.

“Just a little. Your family must own quite a few factories.”

“Just a few, three or so,” he says as he starts cutting along the line, making it deeper and easier to snap. He’s wearing stainless steel mesh gloves, just for his own safety. “Which one do you work in?”

“Owlex Pai, factory number 3”

“Oh, I know the owners of those factories. I know where that is. You must live close by it since you were crossing the bridge.”

“I live about half an hour away from it by foot.”

The Pai family are also New Rich. Their daughter, Sunhee, is a childhood friend of Hakyeon. Or, more of his sisters. They were the ones playing together but Sunhee would always ask if Hakyeon wanted to play as well. She’s a noona to him, about seven years older than him. As he shakes his head to move some of his hair out of the way without touching it, his eyes land once again on the rose. It's so small and fragile.

“The medals … are they yours?” Jaehwan asks, leaning back against the wall.

“No, they were my brother’s. He was a soldier during the war, died five months before it ended.”

“I’m sorry to hear … I …”

Jaehwan stops himself, making a slight pout. Hakyeon looks up at him, a small smile spreading on his face.

“You what?” he asks, starting to move the metal back and forth to separate them.

“I lost my family during the war. It’s how I ended up in the Red Zone, I had nowhere else to go.”

“That’s horrible, I’m so incredibly sorry.”

“It’s many years ago now.”

Hakyeon looks down at the metal. Having lost his entire family. Just losing his brother took great damage on him, he can’t imagine how horrible it must be to lose your entire family. Deep in his thoughts, the metal snaps and he peels it off, laying it on the other table.

“For how long has it been rusting?” Hakyeon asks, looking at it.

“A few weeks I think. It was first today I hadn’t been able to take it off. Normally I can get it off pretty easily.”

“Hm … I will get you a new one. Maybe we even have one for spare, I’m not entirely sure.”

“That’s alright, I will just get a new one at the factory tomorrow,” he says jumping down from the table. “Thank you very much for your help, I greatly appreciate it.”

“Wait, no, I know how that works at a factory. They will take it out of your salary. Let me order you a new one. Come here and sit and let me take your measurements, I won’t accept no for an answer.”

Hakyeon takes the measuring tape, watching Jaehwan with raised eyebrows. Jaehwan just looks at him, with his large drowsy eyes.

Jaehwan does not say anything, instead, he just walks over for Hakyeon to measure around his thigh for a new metal piece. Hakyeon immediately orders a new one, knowing it will be delivered at the factory by the time Jaehwan checks in tomorrow. He made sure to order a good one, a thin stainless steel type, for him to be properly protected and making sure it won’t break again. He suggests Jaehwan stays the night, as it was very late and it would take at least an hour, if not longer for him to get home. But Jaehwan refused, saying he needed to go home if he did not want to wake up three hours earlier to get to the factory.

The Higher Zone is very far away from the factories, as they should not be build or associated with those industrial pieces of machinery. But he does give the umbrella for him to walk with, as to not make any of the other metal he has on him rust and break as well. This small gift he accepted and bid Hakyeon goodbye, thanking him once again for his assistance before leaving. Hakyeon closes the door, going over to the window to look out, watching as Jaehwan glances back at the house, walking slowly. 

Hakyeon smiles a little, leaning up against the wall, and he doesn’t move until Jaehwan is completely out of sight. He walks back downstairs into the workshop to clean up, placing the different tools back into their designated places. As he turns to leave, he spots the rose, still on the table. Jaehwan must have forgotten it. He slowly picks it up. Jaehwan wanted to press it. Hakyeon runs up the stairs, and up onto the second level where his room is. He takes one of his larger and heavier books, opening it. Finding a page near the end, he softly puts the rose down onto the page and closes it again, with slow ease, before sure it doesn't slam shut. He doesn't know much about pressing of flowers or anything about flowers at all, but it's the least he can do for now.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A closer look into the Cha family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am very sorry if this chapter is boring, but I needed a chapter where I introduced Hakyeon's sister, his parents, and the Pai family. It's more exposition than anything else but chapter 3 will be more exciting as it's with Jaehwan again. 
> 
> Again, I do not know what the names of Hakyeon's family members are, as far as I am aware, we only know Sobin, who is the daughter of one of his sisters, and I am not entirely sure if I should just continue in calling his sister noona or not, but we will see how it goes in the future.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy the chapter and I truly hope it's not too boring or bland, but I just needed to explain this information in a natural way.

Hakyeon’s mother returned home the next day in the afternoon, the servants coming running around to help carry her bags inside of the master bedroom. Hakyeon is still downstairs in the basement. One of the servants came in with breakfast for him as he woke up early - long before the cook had come in to prepare - to work in there. He found some old things he, his father and his brother never got a chance to finish, and started working on them. His brother was very creative and often made sculptures or small decoration pieces out of scrap metal from the factories. 

Their father would often bring them out there to see the environment. At that age, Hakyeon didn’t care much and just stayed near the offices, also because the large factory workers scared him, but his brother went around, exploring and finding pieces of scrap metal to use for his sculptures. Steps are coming downstairs and enter inside of the room, his mother looking at him as he slowly cuts through the metal with a small saw.

“What are you doing?”

“Working on something hyung and I never got to finish. It’s been too long and I found it yesterday. It’s more for my own entertainment,” Hakyeon says, stopping the saw and removing the safety glasses.

“Hm … are you hungry? I invited the Pai family over for late lunch, early dinner. We are going to have to discuss an upcoming charity project.”

“I probably will be when they arrive. What project?”

“We wish to raise money to build a memorial center in the city. It’s a gift to the city and a place to store old objects from the war.”

Hakyeon doesn’t answer, putting away the different tools. A charity project, for them to use their money and impact to build a memorial. It could be a lovely idea. There are so few memorial sites around the city, most people still not ready to speak of the war. It was only less than fifteen years ago. And all of them are small and hidden in tight corners of the city, most of them being unknown to the general public. A large memorial would be a good idea, also as a place for the graves to be placed and for ceremonies to be held instead of holding them at the city center closed off to certain Zones of the city.

“That sounds lovely.” Maybe Jaehwan would even also like it. He freezes, drawing his brows together. Of all the people he knows, Jaehwan was the first one coming into his mind. He was also thinking of him yesterday, hoping he had returned home safely. He kept going back to the book, opening it and seeing if the rose was being pressed properly. He is most definitely at work at the factory right now, the shift ending late in the evening. Hakyeon still wants his umbrella back before anyone realizes it is gone.

He has to go back and get it, maybe meeting him after his shift finishes. Depending on the time yesterday, he probably finishes at around 20 or 21 in the evening. He should be able to get out of the house without anyone taking too much notice. He walks upstairs with his mother, showing off the different things she bought in China. She often goes there to shop for whatever she feels like she is in need of. His sisters also love traveling. One of them lives in Japan with her husband and child there, while the younger of his older sister and her children live close by together with her husband.

“I bought something for you from Beijing. Here you go, sweetie,” she says, handing him a small square box wrapped in dark brown velvet.

He opens it to a watch wrapped in gold metal, with the face of the watch showcasing the gear trains. It’s a pocket watch but with no lid. He smiles as he takes it out of the box, turning it around in his hand.

“Thank you very much, Mother.”

Hakyeon currently still lives with them, it’s a large house and he sees no reason to move out. His parents are gone most of the time, so it’s not like he sees them often. His father is constantly traveling for the work, and he knows he will be the one having to take over the factories for their management. It was always their plan for all four siblings to divide the shares of the factories between them but now it will most likely be between his sister and him.

“Will Father also return home today?” he asks, sitting down on one of the chairs.

“Yes, he will. About an hour or so before dinner. Their children will also come, plus your sister and her husband.”

As if called from the heavens, the doors open and he hears his sister’s voice, calling out and the children, immediately running around on the floor, their laughter going through the entire house.

“And thus the peace disappeared,” Hakyeon says, standing up. The children come running inside of the tea room, Hakyeon grabbing the first one he sees, lifting them high up and spinning, nearly hitting the chandelier.

“Don’t spin too much, I don’t want anything to break like last time,” his mother says. He laughs, putting his nephew down, greeting his sister in a hug.

“Kids, you go outside and play in the garden,” she tells them, one of the servants coming to help them outside. “It finally stopped raining this morning, hopefully, it’s not too wet outside. Have you heard of Sunhee?” She immediately says as she sits down, pouring some of the tea in a cup, Hakyeon sitting down as well.

“Sunhee Pai? Is there something wrong with her?”

“Her fiancé canceled the wedding. He no longer wants to go through with it. It was all the women spoke about yesterday at the club. She didn’t show up, and one of the friends told us why.”

His mother gasps, sitting down on the chair as well. Her fiancé was a man from a wealthy old rich family. It would have given her family a lot of opportunities, and from the few times Hakyeon had met the man, he seemed like he was completely in love with her.

“That’s horrible. The wedding was in just four months. Do you know why?”

She shakes her head. “No, there was a lot of theories but nothing confirmed. Some say she might have cheated or confessed about loving someone else. Or maybe even he cheated on her.”

“Then we know not to ask in about that,” Hakyeon says, sipping on the tea. He’s not much for gossip, at least not as much as his sisters and mother. He knows somewhat what goes on in the circle of friends but the whole concept of speaking behind other's back, coming up with assumptions about others without knowing the entire story, that concept never suited him and why he mostly always keeps quiet during such conversations. He merely leans back and listens.

“My, Pai must not be taken this well. This was their chance to get into the old rich circle. Oh, how horrible,” his mother says. “And poor Sunhee, she must be heartbroken.”

His sister continues telling about the kind of gossip going around the female groups of the Higher Class. It’s apparently all they speak about at the club, who is pregnant, who is having an economic crisis, who is trying to hide their secrets and whatever rumor there is going around that week. At one point, Hakyeon finished his tea and left them, neither of them really noticing he left. He walks into the opposite room, the smoking room. It’s the one primarily used by the men when they are having club meetings, sitting in here and smoking and getting drunk. 

No one in his family smokes but that does not hold back the other rich men from smoking, and they do not wish to go outside to do so. Therefore, the smoking room has many ashtrays and after meetings, it’s nearly impossible for anyone to breathe properly inside of here. 

Kyu, the oldest of his nephews who is about eight years old comes inside, dusting off his shoes on the mat before entering from the side door.

“Don’t wanna be outside anymore?” Hakyeon asks him, putting his hands inside of the pockets of his trousers.

He shakes his head. “It’s too cold. Can we play chess, uncle?”

Kyu is a rather smart child, always looking up to Hakyeon. He smiles, looking over at the chessboard, standing in the middle of the room.

“I have a better idea. I wanna show you something, downstairs. But don’t tell your mother, okay?”

He nods. They walk the other way around, going through the eating hall and his father’s work office before reaching the stairs to the basement. He takes Kyu inside of the workshop, showing off some of the decorations he made throughout his childhood before the war. Kyu is immediately intrigued, wishing to be taught it and how to work it. It not only gives Hakyeon an excuse to continue his current work but also shares a piece of his memories with Kyu, making sure the tradition is not completely lost. Making sure metal art is not completely forgotten.

They spend most of the time downstairs, Kyu watching as Hakyeon makes cuts and shapes out of the old metal, forming a tree with leaves hanging off from it. It’s only 2D. He wants to try 3D metal sculpting again, it would be a good way to distract himself. It’s not like he’s any good at it, but it’s better than sitting around all day and stealing books from his father’s personal library. They only first stop when they hear the Pai family arrive, their voices echoing through the basement as they enter into the entrance. Hakyeon looks at Kyu, taking off his safety glasses.

“Remember, no telling your mother. She will get very angry at me.”

Kyu nods, excitedly. Excited for both sharing secrets but also for the new interest he has developed. They walk upstairs together, greeting the Pai family in a formal manner, Kyu bowing at a deep angle as he should. The dinner is immediate as they arrive, guided into the dinner table. The children all sit at a different table, as to not disturb the adults when speaking.

“What are the plans for the charity project, how will we collect the money?” his sister asks.

Hakyeon looks over at the empty seat. His father still has not arrived home. He should have arrived before the Pai family but he hasn’t. His eyes also wander over towards Sunhee. She is normally a very talkative girl, but tonight, she is quiet, avoiding any form of eye contact. Maybe the rumors are true.

“I was thinking of holding an event, a dinner party of some sort and invite hundreds of guest. There will be entertainment, live music, dinner, and we will earn the money through sales of tickets and drinks, including donations.” Mr. Pai says, enthusiastically.

“Uh, sounds wonderful. Where shall it be held? At the theater? Oh, maybe at the palace.”

“Actually, we had the lovely idea of building a blimp to hold the event in. But make it the largest blimp ever made. It would be amazing commercialization of the party and the government has already agreed to sponsor us in the project.”

“Who would build it?” Hakyeon asks, putting his drink down and leaning forward.

“Our factories could. A new project for our main factories. It might take a while but they should be able to finish it within say … four or five months.”

“That’s very ambitious,” his sister says.

“You have to have dreams and then make those come true. And ours right now is to make the largest blimp ever.”

Hakyeon leans back again, pulling himself away from the conversation. He can already imagine how large that blimp would be. And for it to fit so many people, it would be horribly expensive. Probably cost more than they would raise money. Jaehwan would be one of the workers building it, and for it to take four or five months, they would all be working non stop. The amount of money they would spend on the blimp alone would surely be enough to build the memorial, so why not just build that instead of holding a charity event? Hakyeon makes a silent sigh. The doors open and his father steps inside, greeting them all with a big smile.

“I’m sorry I’m late. I got held back at work. I didn’t expect it to take so long. Did I miss anything?” he asks, sitting down and the servant coming in with the dinner.

“Oh no, we were just discussing the plans for the blimp, what I already told you about.”

His father starts speaking excitedly about the blimp as well. Normally, he is good with the control of money. Hakyeon had hoped he would have been against building it, but anything that will make them look better in the eyes of the old rich and public. Hakyeon keeps quiet for the rest of the dinner.

As the times get closer to the late evening, he grabs one of his own coats, making sure not to take the one from yesterday that was his old brothers. The Pai family is still here, speaking to his parents inside the tea room. He goes downstairs from where his room was, buttoning up his long coat jacket. Luckily, it seems like it won’t rain tonight. He goes over to the large white doors leading outside, his shoes echoing through the entrance.

“Hakyeon, are you leaving?” 

He turns, seeing Sunhee standing at one of the doors.

“Um, yeah, just for a small walk. It has kinda become a new hobby of mine, to walk around and see more of the city in the evening. It’s very peaceful.”

“Mind if I join you?”

He doesn’t want to. He is going to go over to the factory. He doesn’t want anyone else with him, and even if he wasn’t, he would also just prefer walking alone.

“Maybe some other night, but not tonight, my apologies, noona.”

“It’s fine, enjoy your walk then,” she says, turning around to go inside the tea room again. She sounded sad and disappointed. She had probably hoped to get away from her parents and the whispers going on about her.

Being the center of attention when it comes to rumors and gossip is never entertaining. Hakyeon has luckily never tried it, so he can only imagine how horrible it must be. A sense of guilt follows him as he walks out and towards the Red Zone, holding the jacket close around him. It’s very cold, a soft breeze flowing through the air. It takes him longer than he expected. He didn’t remember the bridge being so far away. He must have lost track of time while walking yesterday. 

A few people walk past him, looking after him as he does, but he just stares ahead of him, walking with a brisk pace. He probably won’t completely reach the factory, but hopefully, he will meet Jaehwan on the way.

He reaches the bridge, slowing down his pace. He continues walking straight, passing the weak lights hanging on the pillars, and as he does, a person walks towards him.

“Jaehwan,” he says, loud enough to grab the attention of the factory worker. He looks up, shocked by the sudden sound of his name being called.

“Hakyeon … hey,” he says, seemingly lost for words.

“Hey. Your new leg piece looks good,” he says, pointing down towards the new shining bronze metal. It’s clean and crisps, shining even in the weak light.

“Yeah, thank you very much. It’s very good.”

“I’m glad you like it. I actually just came by to pick up my umbrella.”

“Oh… it’s at my house, I’m sorry. I can run over and pick it up.”

“No no, it’s fine. We can just walk there, then you can give it to me when we arrive. It’s fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Completely.”

Jaehwan looks at him before nodding, a small smile forming. He seems more open and comfortable than he was yesterday, calmer. They start walking together down the bridge, Jaehwan guiding Hakyeon towards his apartment, and deeper into the Red Zone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it. I truly appreciate comments and kudos, it keeps me motivated to keep writing.
> 
> I am always active on Twitter, where I post the updates immediately after publishing: @zeze_moonlight


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hakyeon learns more of Jaehwan’s life, before and after the war

“You lived in the outer edge of the city?” 

They have been walking slowly for about five minutes, first now coming off the bridge. Hakyeon asking Jaehwan different questions about his life, mostly from before the war and their nation was heavily damaged. Jaehwan nods, smiling slightly.

“Or, technically more outside of the city. You wouldn’t even really call it the city anymore. It was lovely tho, lived there together with my parents and my two older brothers. I was the maknae.”

“Ah, same for me. I have two other older sisters, and then had my brother, he was twelve years older than me.”

“Oh, that’s a lot, your parents must have been young when they had him.”

“They were, but it was fine. He took care of me and my sisters while they were away. How much older were your brothers?”

“Hm … about three and six years. It was lovely, we had a small house with our own garden. Now it stands empty. It’s my dream to earn enough so I can buy it and live there, move away from here.”

“What are you then going to do there?”

“Work a little, maybe practice painting.”

“Oh, you paint. I really shouldn’t be surprised, you did tell me you did wood and stonework at the factory.”

Jaehwan smile grows this time. It’s much larger, showing off his surprisingly white teeth. It’s a lovely smile, making him smile as well. It’s nearly impossible not to. They walk past a series of houses that are in ruins. Some of the walls are still standing, but just barely. Maybe it was from one of the bombs they found last week. The police are still finding bombs that never went off from the war, some found in different areas but last week one went off, in the Red Zone. He points towards the buildings.

“Are those recent?” he asks.

Jaehwan looks as well before taking his head. “No, those have been destroyed since the war.”

“I thought everything had been rebuilt from the war.” 

Jaehwan makes a face he can’t quite read. It’s the emotions of both disgust, entertainment but also sadness. He shakes his head, making a grin.

“No, barely. Maybe in the other Zones but here nothing here has been rebuilt. The things that have, have all been volunteer work or things people did themselves. If that hadn’t been done, there would be nothing here. I know, I lived the first one and a half year of my life after the war in the underground train station before I moved into a large hall with others.”

Hakyeon stops abruptly, his face suddenly feeling increasingly cold.

“How old are you?”

“26.”

“You were eleven when the war ended? You were homeless in the underground train station when you were eleven?”

He nods, not seeming as bothered by this information as Hakyeon this. He always believed that the government worked hard in all the different zones to rebuild the city, but apparently not. Their home was not damaged from the war, but a few of their neighbor houses were, a small section or so having fallen off or blown off from a bomb falling. He knows it was worst in the outer edge of the city and in the Red Zone as most of the enemies were hiding there. The military had no choice but drop bombs in those areas and just hope that not too many civilians died.

Jaehwan walks over towards the ruins, stepping over the edge of the destroyed wall, walking amongst the ashes. He starts moving his foot around, swiping some of the ashes away, lifting up some of the pieces that are still intact such as a wooden door.

“What are you searching for?” Hakyeon asks, going closer.

“Sometimes you can find surviving material, frames, toys, a few times even clothing. Even so many years after the damage has been done. When the wind or rain comes and wash some of the dirt away and move it around, the stuff starts popping up.”

Hakyeon watches as Jaehwan crouches down, pushing aside a large chunk of dirt to the sides and picking something up. He can’t help but feel a sensation build up inside of him, a clump-forming in his throat that he tries to force down. He turns around, looking up and down the street, folding the jacket closer around him. It’s much colder tonight. An elder person walks by, glancing at Jaehwan and locking his eyes on Hakyeon. He’s old and crippled, walking with a stick.

With Jaehwan, his eyes are neutral, no real sense of feeling in them, glancing casually at it as if it’s nothing he has seen a hundred times. Maybe he has. But his eyes locking on Hakyeon is different, a face of disgust and anger, and it’s when Hakyeon realized just how much he stands out compared to Jaehwan. His clothing is trailered to him, a fine jacket with the pocket watch his mother gave him, the chain hanging out from his breast pocket. Shoes are shiny clean and his hair newly washed from this morning.

Jaehwan, on the other hand, is wearing large chunks of metal around on his body, clothes with oil spill on them, a few places the clothing is even ripped, rips and scars around his face, maybe from working all day. Never in his entire life has he felt this exposed, this out of place. Even when he was a child and was bullied by the Old Rich children. He makes a bow towards the elder man, showing his respect towards him before the old man moves down the street, away from them.

This must have been how Jaehwan felt when he dragged him through the Higher Zone, having to walk home alone. What was he thinking? Hakyeon should have called a taxi to drive him home yesterday, instead of making him walk home in an unfamiliar environment where people would have treated him as a piece of trash. Jaehwan makes a sound of happiness, making Hakyeon turn towards him. He stands up, holding something in his hand.

“Look what I found,” Jaehwan says like an excited child, holding forward his hand where a necklace is resting. 

“Oh wow, do you often find stuff like this?”

He shakes his head. “Rarely. I’m lucky if I find something at all. A lot of people do this, as a way to earn extra money. It’s my first time finding something like this.”

“May I-?” 

He nods, picking up the necklace by the chain and slowly laying it down in Hakyeon’s outstretched palm. The metal is cold against his bare palm, but he moves his finger over the engraving on the main piece. It’s an old classic Victorian figure, specifically a ballerina. It’s very well made.

“It’s very pretty. Where are you going to sell it?”

“There is an auction every Sunday in one of the halls, where people can sell stuff. I might try and sell it there.” Thunder strikes in the background and as both of them looks up, they see lightning brightening up the sky, with the banging noise of the thunder coming just a few seconds after. “Come, let’s hurry. It’s not too far away.”

“Are you not cold?” Hakyeon asks as they walk with a more hastily pace down the sloped street.

“A little, but I will start a little fire when I get home. That should keep me warm enough. I have always wondered, how is life in the Higher Zone? I was surprised to see someone from there in this zone, I would have guessed the life there would be too glamorous to ever leave.”

Hakyeon laughs. “Oh my, no not at all. Of course, it’s glamorous in the sense of style and such, but … it’s a toxic social environment there. There is constant drama going on, people pretending to be friends with each other only to speak behind each other’s back, rumors flying everywhere and just so many assumptions of others.”

“What kind?”

“First of, assumptions of personal life, like their financial state to reaching as far as their sexuality or preferences in different things. Some do it even without knowing the person they are speaking of, it’s very drama filled, so it’s just nice to wander outside of that, a place of more quiet surroundings.”

“I understand that. I don’t get to walk around in this area as I wanted to, but when I do, it’s very calming. Here we are,” Jaehwan says, stopping up.

Hakyeon looks up at the house they are at. It’s built up of wooden pillars, small sections of the house pointing out towards the street, being supported by nothing but the structure of the house itself. It’s small but it seems to be one of the houses with less damage. There are around five chimneys on top of the roof, two of them letting smoke out and the two others are cold and empty.

“Let me just run up and get your umbrella,” Jaehwan says, opening the front door.

“I am actually interested in seeing your art, if I may?”

“Oh … I don’t know really, and it’s very late anyway here. Maybe next time, I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine, you just go.”

Jaehwan flashes him a small smile before running up the stairs. They sound old and broken, squeaking underneath his steps. He is disappointed by not being allowed to see his drawings or paintings, he has to respect the rejections, but the thing that makes Hakyeon smile a little, it the words he said. “Maybe next time.” Simple words, but they bring a form of joy to him. The squeaking starts again and Jaehwan comes out the door, the umbrella in his hand, and holding it forward.

“Thank you very much.”

“You’re very welcome, it was the least I could do,” Hakyeon says, opening the umbrella to prepare for the oncoming rain. As he starts to walk again, Jaehwan calls for him. He looks back, seeing the factory worker looking down in some form of shame.

“Thank you, for walking with me, it was very lovely to finally have some company.”

“It was also very lovely for me. Mind if I do the same thing tomorrow?”

Jaehwan looks up, smiling, shaking his head. “I don’t mind at all.”

With that, they part their ways, Hakyeon walking back towards the gates into the Midway Zone. It starts raining as he walks, speeding up his pace. He also tries to walk up against the wall of the building, hoping that fewer people will notice him. A few mine workers did send him a few odd looks as he passed them, suddenly speaking in a lower voice. There is no knife pocket in this jacket, nothing he can really protect himself from, but he also has nothing of real value on him, except for the pocket watch. Even his bracelet is worth barely anything. As he reaches the gates, it is new guards standing there from when he entered. 

“Your ID, sir,” the guard asks, looking him up and down. He digs into his breast pocket, patting down his jacket, before sighing. His ID is in his brother’s jacket.

“I do not have my ID on me currently.”

“And what am I supposed to do with that piece of information, sir? Are you aware that it is a break of the law to not carry your ID or some form of personal identifications on you at all times?”

“Yes, I am aware. And I am sorry, I forgot to take it out of my other jacket from yesterday. Can I please, use the phone to call someone to come and pick me up then?”

“What is your name, and which zone are you from?”

“Cha Hakyeon and Higher Zone.”

“What are you doing walking around in the Red Zone? Especially with such a fine looking watch,” the guard says, poking Hakyeon where his watch is, pressing harder down than necessary.

“Please, remove your hand from and let me have my class. I am allowed to call someone to validify my identity, that is also part of the law.”

The guard grins, but removing his finger, pointing over at the booth where guards sit. There is a phone there. He nods as a thank you, handing over the umbrella before going inside and dialing the number to the house. It’s rather late, most of the housemates will have returned home by now, and it wouldn’t shock him if his parents had already gone to sleep. It rings for a little bit before his sister finally picks up.

“Hello, Cha family estate,” she says, sounding like an automatic playback of audio. 

“Noona, it’s Hakyeon. Have Mother and Father already gone to sleep?”

“Mother has, but Father hasn’t yet. Where are you? Sunhee said you had gone on a walk, but you have been gone for hours now.”

“I need you to come and pick me up at the entrance gate of the Red Zone, I forgot my ID.”

“The Red Zone? Hakyeon, what the hell are you doing there?”

She is speaking in a lower voice, most likely to make sure their Father doesn’t hear.

“I was taking a walk. Please, noona.”

She sighs through the phone. “Fine, I will come and pick you up. Stay there.”

After about twenty minutes, a car pulls up, his sister coming out with his ID and her own, showing it to the guards, who let him go. They both drive back in silence, his sister just sending him a few glances of disappointed every now and then. It’s only first when they pull back up at the house, that she speaks to him.

“What were you doing in the Red Zone? Don’t you know how dangerous it is there?”

“I have walked there many times before, it’s just for some freedom. It’s calmer there.”

“You are insane. What if someone had robbed you? Killed you or kidnapped you?”

“There wasn’t. Noona, I am twenty-eight years old, I do not need you to lecture me.”

“You still live with Mother and Father. Why don’t you move out? There are so many lovely apartments inside the city you can live in. You have the money for it, so why not?”

He sighs, watching the rain fall on the windows, slowly falling down the front window of the car.

“Fine, then we can go look tomorrow, but I won’t just buy any apartment. And I am only going to use it when Mother and Father are home because they specifically ask me to take care of the house for them. Both you and Hayoon-noona are too busy for that.”

“Deal, good enough for me.”

She stops the car, both of them exiting it and running up to the front door. He has to make sure to always get his ID along with him if he doesn’t want to get in any more trouble with the guards and his family. And maybe it will be good for him to have his own place. He can’t depend on his parents forever, and he can feel that him living here is exhausting for both of them. Maybe his own apartment wouldn’t be too bad of an idea.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hakyeon has never starved a day in his life, the thought of only receiving one meal a day is harsh to fathom for him. For Jaehwan, it’s normal.

Hakyeon’s sister took him to a few different large apartments around the city in the Higher Zone. They were all relatively close to their parent’s house and not too far away from his sister’s home. He likes all of them, but the one they are currently in is truly grabbing his attention. It’s not too large but still spacious enough for him to live there. 

He is walking around in there, holding Sobin in his arms as his sister speaks to the real estate agent. It would be nice to live here when he isn’t staying at the estate or if he knows he will return home very late. It’s still in the Higher Zone, meaning that the neighbors are all people he is familiar with, either as an acquaintance or their parents know each other. Most of his close friends are from the Upper Middle Class.

Sobin is clinging onto him, her small hands gripping onto his shirt as he walks over to the window and the small rounded off area of the apartment. The view is very pretty and one of the larger parks is right below him. His sister also lives close by, just a five-minute walk from there and the estate of his parents is twenty minutes away by car. It’s a good distance to everything.

“Thank you very much,” Hayoon says to the real estate agent as he leaves, leaving the papers on the half wall. “What do you think?” she asks him.

Hakyeon shrugs, looking up at the rounded ceiling. it’s the top apartment of the building, there is many rooms of the apartment, one as an office, a guest room, walk-in closet, master bedroom with own bathroom and a large kitchen and living room together. 

“It’s very nice. I can imagine myself being here, but there would have to be done a few renovation pieces.”

“Such as?”

“New bathroom, wall paint, the flooring in the bedroom has to be fixed up as well.”

“So you think it’s too much work?”

He shakes his head, looking down at Sobin, smiling at her. 

“I think I’ll take it. A new project to keep me busy. Plus, it has enough room for all my things and more. Just means I also have to go shopping for new furniture.”

“I can help you with that as well. The contract is here, look over it and tell me tomorrow if you agree to it, then we can start bidding.”

“How much is it per month?”

“About 2,300,500 won per month. That’s not too bad for such an apartment and that includes electricity, water, heating and all of that, so it’s a very good deal.”

Hakyeon nods, looking around again. It is a good price for such an apartment. Of course, the things he wants to have fixed will add to the cost, but hopefully, it won’t be too much. He has a good saving and already has a small share in his family’s factories so paying monthly rent should not be a problem for him. His sister reaches over to take Sobin over in her arms again, slowly falling asleep.

“Are you hungry? Wanna go for some late dinner?”

He shakes his head. “No, it’s fine. I’m not hungry, but I am going out tonight, so I might just buy some food there.”

“You’re going out? On a Thursday? - Don’t tell me you’re going to the Red Zone again,” she says, her voice suddenly becoming very strict.

“I am not, I am going out with some of my friends, and it’s just for drinks,” he lies. He is going to the Red Zone. When he woke up this morning, he was contemplating not going, thinking that it’s a waste of his time, wondering why he was even doing it in the first place.

He turned the whole thing around, the whole walk yesterday upside down in his head, analyzing everything and just asking himself over and over again if he should come back. It is weird, it is strange, for him to enjoy walking around in the Red Zone, of all places, and with all people, why Jaehwan? He didn’t receive a full answer, but when he went over to check on the large book that was pressing the rose, he decided he would go again. He enjoyed it yesterday, and if their walk tonight goes just as well, he will be content. Knowing that it is something he wishes to continue with.

he says goodbye to his sister and Sobin outside of the apartment, down onto the street, giving a small kiss to Sobin and a hug to his sister. He watches them walk away, and watches as the sun slowly starts setting again. Jaehwan will probably be done soon. Maybe if he leaves now, he can even reach the factory, so they don’t have to meet at the bridge. He kills some time inside of the city center, walking around and just looking at what is inside the windows of the different shops. He does find a jacket he really likes, memorizing the name of the store before moving on and walking down towards the Midway Zone, which will also then lead him to the Red Zone.

It’s never a problem for him to enter the Red Zone, it’s always when exiting it for some reason. The guards only care when he has to enter, maybe because he is coming directly from the Red Zone. He checks and makes sure he has his ID with him this time, walking over the bridge and watching as the blimps in the very far distance are flying over the city. The soil on the bridge is still wet from the rain in the last couple of days. Small puddles still spread out over the bridge and the water has risen a lot. 

He steps down from the bridge and it’s as if he enters a new world of thick smoke, dust, ashes and the sound of clashing metal. It’s definitely not the first time he has been to the factories, but the conditions of these areas always make him uncomfortable. Dark smoke forms walking around amongst the factory gasses, the colors of the world becoming more dull and gray.

“Well hello there, good sir.” a female’s voice says to him. He turns to look at the owner of the voice, seeing a woman, around his oldest sister’s age. She’s wearing little to nothing, old rags that seems to be held together by pins. “How may I assist you?”

“I don’t need assisting, thank you,” he says, slowly moving again, towards the factory the Pai owns. She yells after him, something about giving him a good offer. Goosebumps travel up his arms, and he lifts the collar of his jacket further up, hoping to hide.

He really shouldn’t be surprised, this is the Red Zone. Homeless people, criminals, and psychopaths are living here. Why it has the nickname, Unsafe Zone, it’s not safe for anyone to live here. He reaches the factory, watching as the large bell of their workday rings and the doors to the factory open. Hakyeon goes over next to one of the light pools and stands there, waiting for Jaehwan to come out of there.

After about five minutes of waiting and watching many factory workers come out, some of them looking at him, he spots Jaehwan come out, wiping the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve and pushing his hair back.

“See you tomorrow, Pretty Boy,” one of the workers say to him, clapping him on the shoulder. It seemed to have been a hard clap, but Jaehwan just makes a smile and nods, looking up to lock eyes with Hakyeon.

Hakyeon makes a small wave at him, Jaehwan walking over.

“I thought we met at the bridge,” He says, casually looking over his shoulder towards some of the other workers.

“I had extra time, plus I have never seen the Pai’s factories. Shall we go?”

Jaehwan nods, and they start to walk out, walking apart from the other factory workers. Barely any of them walk over the bridge, only a few who walk a lot faster than them.

“The Pai’s actually came to our house yesterday, I didn’t get to tell you. My family and they are planning a new project,” Hakyeon says.

“The blimp thing? Yeah, I heard about that one. We have already been assigned roles for the building of it, starting tomorrow.”

“That was … earlier than I expected.”

Jaehwan shrugs. “I guess they want us to start right away. They have only given us a few months, like four or five before it has to be finished. We are starting tomorrow.”

“What’s your role then?”

“I stand for the interior build, meaning heating, plumbing, all the electronics works and that the designs of the architects are correct and followed.” 

“Uh, getting a chance to show off your artistic side.”

Jaehwan laughs, shaking his head. “No, I just have to follow the guide they provide me.”

They step down from the bridge, slowly walking down the same path as they did yesterday. Hakyeon looks around him, looking at the houses that are not as destroyed like the others. A few flower pots standing out on window shells. It seems brighter than yesterday. He hears a low growl, turning to Jaehwan, only to see him holding his hand over his stomach.

“Are you hungry?” Hakyeon asks, smiling.

“A little. I had to skip the dinner at the factory, I was too busy.”

“Is there like restaurants near here?”

“Not this far out.”

“What about a store?”

“No, it’s fine. I have some food at my home, no need to buy new food just yet. And I don’t want to waste any food.”

“Oh, okay then... Well, I am a little hungry, so please show me the way to a store where I can buy food.”

Jaehwan stops in his tracks, looking at Hakyeon with a soft smile. Hakyeon casually puts his hands into the pockets of his jacket, looking back at him with a patient glance. Sometimes acting stubborn is the best way.

“So, are you going to show me the way?”

Jaehwan shakes his head, smiling before continuing his walk but making a different turn, walking down some form of an alley. Hakyeon catches up to him, walking next to him. They seem to be walking in some form of a residential area, houses attached to each other with multiple levels, most likely where quite a few families are living. They reach a house that has a large stepping stone to get inside of it. Jaehwan steps up and stretches out his hand to help Hakyeon up.

Hakyeon takes the offer and steps up. It’s a least half a meter, if not more. Inside, the building seems to be crooked, halting a bit to the side. There is a light on, a cashier and a few people walking around, buying food. It’s all in wooden boxes, no real shelves for the food to stand on, and from what he can see, it’s mostly low-quality food there is. He can’t see any dairy products, such as milk, cheese or even bread. He can’t even find the meat.

“This is where you normally buy food?” Hakyeon asks, stepping inside, still holding onto Jaehwan’s hand. His hand is mostly wrapped in metal, feeling cold against his bare hand, but in those few areas where his skin is bare, it’s warm and soft. Comforting.

Jaehwan nods. “For bare necessities. This is the cheapest place in my area anyway. What do you crave?”

“Maybe I’ll just get something to drink unless you have like simple sandwiches here.”

“Probably over here,” he says, pulling him through the store, still holding his hand. Hakyeon realizes, not sure if he should pull his hand back. Jaehwan doesn’t seem bothered by it, maybe he just hasn’t realized it yet.

He stops at a rack of bread, in the very back of the store. Hakyeon doesn’t even look at it or snap out of his thoughts until Jaehwan let go of his hand. Only then, Hakyeon looks up at Jaehwan, seeing his slightly pink cheeks, putting his hands into his pockets. Maybe he hadn’t realized and didn’t want it. Hakyeon makes his lips into a small line, looking up at the choices. Some of them are old and wet, but there is a surprisingly large selection of choices.

“Which one is your favorite?” Hakyeon asks.

“Probably this one. It’s a wrap with chicken and rice, a little bit of salad as well. Basic, but still very good.”

“You are an amazing salesman. I’ll take two.”

“You must be hungry,” Jaehwan says, smiling and taking down two for him. Hakyeon takes them, taking large steps towards the cashier.

“I’ve always been told it was rude to eat with friends if they weren’t eating as well, so the second one is for you,” he says, handing over the wraps to the cashier. They are wrapped in paper, seeming soft and maybe a little bit wet. Most likely not freshly made.

“Hakyeon, you really don't need-”

Hakyeon shushes him, paying for the food. He made sure not to pull out his wallet and show how much money is inside of it. He always carries a large sum of money on him, in case of emergencies. He takes the two and turns towards Jaehwan, except he no longer stands there. He stretches his neck around the store only to spot him outside. He thanks the cashier, and goes out to stand on the stone looking down at Jaehwan.

“Here,” he says, holding forward the wrap. He does not take it, just looks at it. “Please, you said you didn't like wasting food. I can't eat two.”

Jaehwan sighs, taking the wrap and reaches out to help Hakyeon down again. Why is he offering his hand again, if he didn't even like holding his hand? Stubbornly, Hakyeon steps down from the edge himself, finding an easy footing before unwrapping his wrap and sitting down next to the store, dusting off the dirt to the best of his abilities before sitting. He doesn't enjoy eating while he walks. Jaehwan comes over to sit next to him, also unwrapping it.

“Oh you're right, they are really good,” he says after taking the first bite.

“Thank you,” Jaehwan says. He's already halfway through his, some rice on his cheek. 

“Why did you say you weren't hungry when you clearly were?” Jaehwan shrugs, continuing to eat it. “When was your first meal?”

Jaehwan doesn't answer. He just looks shamefully down at the wrap. Hakyeon waits for an answer but when Jaehwan looks away from him, something clicks inside his brain.

“This is your first meal of the day, isn't it?”

Again, Jaehwan doesn't answer. He avoids all form of eye contact with Hakyeon, either out of shame or maybe even regret. He finished the wrap, folding the paper together into a small ball and putting it inside of his pocket. Hakyeon hands over his wrap which still only has one bite. 

“Eat it, you need it more than I do.”

He does not protest. He probably knows it would not work on Hakyeon. He takes it and eats that one as well. He did say he had to skip the dinner at the factory but how little food do they even give them? Hakyeon has never looked into that aspect, truly what kind of conditions the workers are under. What kind of food do they get? How many breaks are they allowed to have? Hakyeon has no idea.

Most of the factory workers looked exhausted, some of them with heavy shoulders but then there was some who looked happy, who smiled as they walked out. Walking together and laughing. He remembers the factory worker Jaehwan walked without. 

“Why did that factory worker call you Pretty Boy?”

“It's just a nickname. I'm one of the youngest full-time workers there, so the others like teasing me. And Pretty, because I guess I'm pretty.”

He is. Jaehwan is very pretty, handsome. His face is not typical Korean. If he saw him on the street, he would think he was mixed. The large nose, sharp jaw, plump lips, and the somewhat light brown hair. He is incredibly pretty. Hakyeon says none of this but just looks at him, eating, watching his eyes look out onto the street. He has to force himself to look away, looking in the opposite direction to hide the heat going to his cheek. Luckily it's dark, maybe it will be harder for him to notice.

“Should we continue?” Jaehwan asks, standing up, folding together the piece of paper and putting that in his pocket as well.

Hakyeon stands up, clapping on his backside to get the dust and dirt off. 

“Thank you very much, for the food. I owe you.”

“You owe me nothing, see it as a gift from me to you.”

Jaehwan smiles, as they start walking again and his smile stays on his face for the entire walk home. Jaehwan tells about a few other places in The Red Zone, a bar he sometimes goes to, a public space for others to enjoy, simple things that he finds so much joy in. Hakyeon could listen to him speak about it all day, just hear him tell stories of his daily life, how he spends his half days on Sundays, what he does to enjoy life outside of work. The happiness that shines in his eyes as he tells is something is beautiful. It's shining brightly, full of cheerfulness. Someone who truly appreciates the beauty of life, even in a dark place like this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much for reading. I hope this chapter is sufficient and that it was good enough. I am a little slow with updates mostly because these chapters take a little longer for me to write and my exams are starting in a few weeks so I am studying as well. But I hope you enjoyed it. I appreciate the kudos and comments <3
> 
> Find me on twitter @zeze_moonlight


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaehwan shows the brighter side of the darkest zone

It continued like this for the entire week. Hakyeon would leave home at around eight and make his way to the Red Zone and the bridge, where he would meet Jaehwan. Some days, it was what he was most looking forward too, and Jaehwan also seemed to enjoy the company a lot. Gradually becoming closer, Jaehwan enjoys listening to stories of Hakyeon’s childhood, his brother and their projects, the fights he had with his sisters and just the general childhood of his life. 

He was curious about the life in the Higher Zone; what kind of things he had growing up, what he saw. Hakyeon felt bad speaking about such things, speaking of the food he had, where he traveled to and what kind of toys he had, knowing Jaehwan had nothing and lived off food thrown out in the garbage. But Jaehwan never held it against him. Never tried to make him feel bad, he just wanted to listen. 

So, even after a week of the start of their evening routine, Hakyeon is back on the bridge, underneath his umbrella, waiting for Jaehwan to come. He is rarely ever late, and if he is, it’s only by a few minutes. It’s raining again but only by a little bit. It reminds him of the first day they met when it was pouring and Hakyeon was standing in the same spot. By the pillar that is not completely ruined and has no damage on it.

He’s wearing a white jacket this time. Probably not the best option but it was one of his only jacket available. Hayoon took his daily dark blue jacket and decided to get it cleaned without telling him. Therefore, he had to go take another one. Hopefully, this one won’t make him stand out too much either. The pocket watch is in his breast pocket and there is a permanent imprint on the other side. He reaches up to play a little with the chain.

Jaehwan finally comes over, smiling as always. His hair and clothing are wet from walking in the rain, but smiling nonetheless. But there is something different. He seems happier than usual. Hakyeon immediately puts the umbrella over both of them, standing close to fit underneath the umbrella.

“Why are you so smiley?” Hakyeon asks, smiling himself.

“My shift tomorrow doesn’t begin until noon, so I wanna show you my favorite place in this zone.”

“Why is your shift beginning so late?”

“Not sure. The manager told the team I am in about it, but we are not supposed to ask questions. Come, it’s not that further away than my apartment.”

Jaehwan grabs Hakyeon’s wrist, walking outside in the rain again to walk across the bridge. Hakyeon desperately tries to keep himself and Jaehwan underneath the umbrella while he is being pulled away. He runs up, so they are walking side by side.

“What is your favorite place then?”

“It’s the bar I told you about. Where I go whenever I can. I want you to see it.”

Jaehwan says it with such excitement, like a small child dragging their parents to show them something. It’s such an innocent and pure excitement, Hakyeon can’t do anything but smile lovingly as Jaehwan walks in the rain. He leads him into a different part of the zone, one that seems lively, but in a different way than the others. It’s filled with younger people, small local cafes and shops and even light bulbs shining around the street. 

It reminds him of the streets in the Midway Zone, where all the young university students live. Places he would sneak out to when he was younger because there were no interesting events happening in the Higher Zone. The houses here are also better build. They seem more recent, newer and fresher, windows with brighter colors. A few older men sitting outside a bar watch Hakyeon with hawkeyes. He can feel their eyes moving up and down, analyzing all of him, his clothing, his posture, his accessories. But not in the same way the people in the Higher Zone does.

There, their eyes are full of judgment. Analyzing you to find the faults, find things to point out during gossip, seeing where things are imperfect and hyper-focus on those. But these men, their eyes are different. They have hatred, jealousy in them, but also thirst. Thirst for something else. Hakyeon adverts his gaze down towards the ground and Jaehwan seems to notice as he pokes him in the side.

“What’s wrong?” he whispers to him.

“Nothing, just … I don’t know how people will react to me in there. I didn’t exactly dress to blend in.”

Someone whistle and both of them turn to look towards the elder men in the outside bar. They were whistling after him. Was he just catcalled? No, they wouldn’t have done that.

“Hakyeon, can I touch you?” Jaehwan asks suddenly.

Hakyeon immediately goes speechless, stumbling over his words, trying to find an end and beginning of what Jaehwan just said. In the end, he just ends up saying something that is close to the word ‘what’ and apparently Jaehwan understands that as he makes a small playful smile, his ears turning a little red.

“Can I put my arm around you?” he rephrases. 

Hakyeon says nothing but nod, Jaehwan putting his arm around his shoulder, his hand laying on his shoulder, and fingers softly and just barely massaging his tense muscles.

“Nothing will happen while you’re with me.”

Jaehwan makes them walk again, Hakyeon still holding the umbrella over them, but despite the whistles and the hateful eyes, he feels safe with Jaehwan. A new form of security and closeness. He has never been disrespected like that. Even in the Midday Zone, never has anyone whistled after him like that, looked at him like that. But then again, he never wears this kind of clothing when wandering in the Midday Zone and if he knew Jaehwan was going to show him a deeper place in the Red Zone, he would definitely have dressed differently.

Jaehwan points towards a building that is the same as the others. Attached to all the others, a tall building, except there is a sign hanging over the door. It has many more windows and seats outside, including a small roof for people to sit underneath. There is a few sitting there, holding drinks in their hands. The door is dark wood that Jaehwan pushes open, pushing harshly. The door seems heavy as it drags against the floor.

Inside is dark, only just being lit up by a few candles on the walls and low hanging lights on the ceiling. But the atmosphere in there lights it up, the people speaking, the laughter and the feeling Hakyeon has as he enters the bar is something he has never experienced. The bars in the Higher Zone has music playing, classical music and people are sitting at their tables, waiters walking around the tables. Here, people are standing at the bar, there is live music that can barely be heard from the conversations, and while there are tables, most people are standing.

It’s free.

Jaehwan pokes him and he locks eyes with him. Jaehwan wraps a finger around the chain of the pocket watch that is poking out, leaning in so his mouth is right next to his ear.

“Better hide this. You never know what type of people are in here.”

Hakyeon nods, happy for the darkness inside of the bar to hide how hot his face feels. He moves the chain inside of the breast pocket where the watch is, hoping that it will hide it enough. Jaehwan leads him further inside the bar, over to the bartender, ordering drinks. They both sit on the bar stools, Hakyeon’s eyes wandering around the interior of the bar. There are paintings hanging on the wall, animal heads and other decorations that look like they were picked up from a shipwreck. 

But it suits the atmosphere. It’s a positive one compared to the rest of the Zone, or at least part of the Zone he has seen. The bartender, a white-haired old man, place the two drinks in front of them, Hakyeon looking at the dark brown drink.

“What is it?” He asks, leaning over to Jaehwan.

“It’s whiskey,” Jaehwan answers.

“Probably not as fancy or expensive as the type you normally have,” the bartender says, laughing.

“Try it,” Jaehwan encourages.

It looks much darker than the ones he has had, and he isn’t really the person to drink alcohol but he tries. It’s strong, very strong and tastes nothing like the ones he has tried but nevertheless, it's good. It burns on his tongue and throat, probably making a face as the bartender continues to laugh. Jaehwan laughs a well, and he isn’t sure if he's supposed to be flattered about it or embarrassed.

“It’s different,” he says, putting the glass now. He only drank a small sip of it.

“It’s strong. Sorry, I should have warned you.”

“No no, it’s fine, just surprised… How often do you go here?”

“I used to come here a lot more when I was younger when I only worked part-time at the factory, so before I turned twenty. There it was like, three times a week I think. Nowadays, I am lucky if I can come once a month. I’m normally too exhausted to come when I end so late.”

“It’s lovely here, I can see why you would like it.”

“It’s one of the only places that isn’t so depression or dark as the rest of the Zone. This neighborhood, because it’s so close to Midday Zone, it was build up a little bit better and wasn’t as destroyed during the war.”

“It’s wonderful. There are so many people. It’s interesting, how negatively portrayed the Red Zone is in the Higher Zone. It’s shocking.”

“How are we portrayed?”

“We are told that you all are thieves and that you eat rats for dinner.”

Jaehwan starts laughing, shaking his head. “I have never eaten a rat before. I’ve seen many, especially when I lived in the underground subway, but never in my life eaten one.”

“Most of them are false and stereotypes.”

“If it makes you feel better, you have also disproven the stereotypes of the Higher Zone people.”

“Which are?” Hakyeon asks, resting his elbow on the counter and head in his hand.

“That you are all stuck up, selfish people. Shit in a golden throne and have servants spoon feed you because doing it yourself would be too difficult.”

This time, it’s Hakyeon turns to laugh. Out of shock but also entertainment. He has never heard of those types of stereotypes, they are rather outlandish, and didn’t think the people in the Red Zone had those kinds of insults towards them. On any other occasion, he might have been a little offended but here, with Jaehwan telling those things, he laughs.

“I don’t have a golden throne as a toilet - it’s made out of silver,” he says sarcastically, exaggerating the posture and voice of a fine person, both of them laughing. “But there are some who are stuck up. And very selfish. Who is willing to lie with whatever to get what they want. Make false accusations or whatever, it’s horrible.”

Jaehwan doesn’t say anything back. He just stares at Hakyeon, a small smile on his lips, leaning in on the counter. It’s a sense of happiness in his smile, in his eyes. As Hakyeon lifts the glass to drink from it again, he finally speaks.

“Guess I was lucky to have found you then.”

He says it quietly. They have had to yell before, so he wasn’t whispering, but seemingly just thinking out loud in a casual voice. Hakyeon is not even entirely sure if that is truly what he said, but it sure seemed like it was. And the tone he used, it was a dreamy tone, soft tone that wasn’t meant as a joke or anything. It was a real compliment, rather or not he was supposed to hear it, he takes it to his heart and a smile spread on his lips as he continues drinking the rest.

At the end of the evening, Hakyeon paid for the drinks and the food they ordered later on, despite Jaehwan’s protests. He said he would pay him back, but it was so little, it’s not like it will take great damage on Hakyeon and his bank account. He barely feels it. They leave the bar, into the gloomy lit street, the darkness truly having fallen upon them.

“Now, where is the road to your apartment? Show the way,”

Over at the other side, the old men who whistled at Hakyeon is leaving their bar, walking out and laughing as they do. Jaehwan looks over at them, and one of them seems to notice them as well. They continue laughing, walking in the direction that leads out to Main Street as well. It’s very late, Hakyeon has never stayed this late in the Red Zone and now the lively feeling there was there before is gone from the atmosphere. It’s darker and colder, Hakyeon suddenly feeling the cold wind around him. He pulls the jacket tighter around him, putting his hands inside of his pockets.

“Maybe I should follow you back to the gates. I live far inside of the Red Zone and you might get lost. The lights turn off soon.”

“Yeah - Wait...what?”

“The street lights. To save energy for the other Zones, the street lights here turn off at midnight,” Jaehwan explains. “It will be pitch black, so I should follow you back.”

“What about you? Will you be able to get back?”

“Yeah, don’t worry about me. I have often walked home in complete darkness, nothing new for me.”

He reaches his arm out for Hakyeon to take. He is a little hesitant about it, but as he looks up, one of the elder men are still standing at the bar, smoking, looking over at Hakyeon. He doesn't like the look in his eyes.

“Alright,” Hakyeon says, putting his arm in Jaehwan’s inner elbow to hold on. Jaehwan follows him out of the alley and onto the Main Street they normally walk on. 

It has stopped raining and Jaehwan is walking with the umbrella in his other hand. He doesn't know why Jaehwan offered him this arm. Maybe it was the same reason as when he put his arm around his shoulder earlier, to make sure nothing would happen but right now, there seems to be no one around them. He looks at the metal pieces surrounding Jaehwan’s body. The metal wrapping around his thighs and leg, the large shoulder piece, the glasses hanging around his neck.

Most factory workers do it to protect themselves from work, the burning of steel and such. No one else really does it, only people from the middle class, the ones that his parents like to refer to as “alternative”. They are the people who are against the social society, inventors who refuse to move from the middle class and other such people. While Hakyeon has nothing against them, due to his upbringing and his parent’s opinion on them, he has a small disliking for them and will avoid them if possible.

But Jaehwan is not like them. He’s a factory worker. The lowest possible status anyone can receive in their society.

Suddenly all the lights around them disappear and Hakyeon lets out a loud gasp, inching closer to Jaehwan who just laughs.

“Sorry,” Hakyeon says, quietly and looking around in the darkness, waiting for his eyes to get used to it.

“Don’t worry, we are nearly there.”

“This is uncomfortable. What if you can’t find your way in the dark?”

“Then I guess you’re lost. I’ve never heard of anyone who has gotten lost, but most people also don’t wander around after midnight.”

He understands why. It’s terrifying. Hakyeon when he was out, used to return home at around 1 am or 2 am, and what mainly brought him home was the street lights and being able to see properly, recognizing the route home. Else he would have been utterly lost.

They reach the gates and the guards are standing there. Their eyes falling to where Hakyeon’s hand is, but he does not move it. Jaehwan hands him the umbrella and whispers a small goodnight to him before leaving in the opposite direction. Hakyeon didn’t get a chance to say goodnight. Jaehwan left so fast, he didn’t even have time to react. 

He looks after Jaehwan before he disappears into the darkness, tiny specks of regret in his shaking hands. The guard coughs, pulling his consciousness back. He shows the guards his ID, letting him enter and catching a taxi home. Out in the Midday Zone, all the street lights are on, and there are even proper lights in the windows.

He never realized just how large of a difference there was in their living conditions. He never knew the people in the Red Zone lived such limited lives, yet, he saw so many smiles inside the bar. How can they smile when living such lives? What brings them happiness? How can Jaehwan smile and laugh, be so happy with the little he has while people in the Higher Zone are just demanding for more? It leaves a bad taste in his mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much for reading another chapter. I appreciate the love and support I am receiving on this and I am glad others are enjoying it as well. I am not entirely sure how many chapters this story will be but hopefully, it won't be too long that it is unbearable to read.
> 
> I appreciate every single kudos and comment, they keep me motivated. If you wish, come talk to me on twitter @zeze_moonlight


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The inside of a person's house can tell a lot, it's filled with stories just waiting to be told. Hakyeon finally gets to see Jaehwan's home, hearing some of those stories.

“You never come out with us anymore! It’s just for one night,” Hakyeon’s best friend says to him.

They are sitting at a table at a cafe. His best friend - Jaeho invited him out for a late breakfast, and Hakyeon accepted. It’s been a few weeks since Jaehwan brought him along to the bar and since then, Jaehwan has felt more comfortable with Hakyeon. Most of the times, they are walking close now, one of them having their arm around the other person’s shoulder, but a few times, Hakyeon managed to snake his arm through Jaehwan’s. He never protested against it or tried to stop him, so he just continued on with it.

Jaeho is holding a small gathering at the hotel they always have celebrations in. It’s a form of a club but also works sometimes as a hotel. It also works as a bar where they used to go when they were younger, where all the parties for the younger generation were held. Hakyeon drinks some of the coffee, looking out the window.

“I’m busy.”

“On a Saturday evening? What the Hell are you doing on a Saturday evening? Don’t tell me it’s the Pei family again.”

“No, I am just busy, I have stuff to do.”

“Ya, you have gotten so boring. When did you start becoming so high and mighty?”

“I am not high and mighty-“

“Then come to the party! We haven’t done something like this in forever and it would be fun, let loose, forget your worries!”

“Ya, lower your voice,” Hakyeon says, softly hitting Jaeho on his arm.

“Come along and I will stop pleading.”

Hakyeon makes a heavy sigh. “I’ll think about it. It’s in a few days right?”

“Yes, on Saturday. Give me an answer, latest Friday evening or I will come to your house and kick you.”

“Good luck getting in. Do I need to pay my half?” Hakyeon asks.

They finished their food, just having gotten the basic food they offer at the restaurant. In Hakyeon’s opinion, their dinner menu is much better. They always split the bill. It’s common custody to do in the Higher Zone, to make the pay equal. Of course, there are the few, who is only willing to pay for their own food, Hakyeon despises those people.

Jaeho is not from the Higher Zone. His family is from the higher end of the Midday Zone and that’s the only reason he was allowed to play with him when they were children. His parents were very on edge with Hakyeon, becoming friends with children outside of the Higher Zone, scared it would hurt their reputation, but instead, most parents loved it. Saying Hakyeon was already a wonderful child for “giving back to the community”.

When in truth, Hakyeon just did not want to be friends with anyone from the Higher Zone as there, status was everything, even from a young age.

“Yeah, sure. I’ll go up to pay and you just give me whatever you owe me,” he says, starting to stand up from the table.

“Okay, I’ll just head to the bathroom then.”

Hakyeon stands as well, walking past the bar of the restaurant and behind the stairs where the bathroom is. Inside the bathroom are large mirrors, stretching across the wall and the room is very well lit. Hakyeon goes over to the mirror to check his hair after he finishes, making sure it sits well. He didn’t have much time this morning. It’s a little messy but nothing too bad. He’s had worse days.

The door opens and Hakyeon steps away from the mirror, walking towards the door. The man looks at him before continuing, Hakyeon immediately leaving. He couldn’t take the chance that it was someone who knew his family or him and saw him doing something like that, saying that it’s only something teenagers would do. In a way, he understands. He should have left the house, knowing he looked presentable and not just hope for it.

As he leaves, Jaeho comes out, holding onto the receipt.

“How much do I owe you?”

“34 120 Won, do you have them now?”

“Yeah, I should have,” Hakyeon says, finding his wallet and the money. He always makes sure to pay his debt when he can. That’s one money advice his parents taught him, never be in debt to anyone, they will hold it against you. Therefore, Hakyeon hates knowing he owes someone money.

They leave the restaurant, going out onto the street.

“The party is in the Talbot House, right?” Hakyeon asks.

“Yes, at 8 PM. Make sure to come or I will come to your estate and drag you there myself,” Jaeho says, smiling before leaving. Hakyeon laughs, reassuring him. He doesn’t know if he wants to come.

The main problem, it would come in the way of his meeting with Jaehwan. He knows he shouldn’t be thinking of that. He has known Jaehwan for about a month now, Jaeho he has known since he was ten years old. Maybe if he leaves early from Jaehwan, he can reach the party.

He walks through the park where there are children playing around, near the playground and on the grass. Normally they are not allowed to be on the grass but there is currently no one there to do anything. If he was walking with his parents, they might have said something, but Hakyeon just smiles. He wishes he also had something like this, a park or something to play it but it was first constructed after the war. He wonders if the Red Zone has something similar.

Hakyeon and Jaehwan have started taking longer routes to Jaehwan’s apartment. Jaehwan really enjoys showing off more of the Red Zones, the more quiet and calm places. They are walking arm in arm with each other, Hakyeon having his hand wrapped around Jaehwan’s inner elbow joint. It’s very quiet. None of them are talking, but the silence isn’t awkward. It’s comfortable, relaxing.

They are walking past houses that seem like they could fit into the Midway Zone but abandoned. Why has no one ever moved back in again? Did the people who lived there before run away because of the war? He would ask Jaehwan about it, but speaking about the war seems so depressing, and he doesn’t want to bring down the mood. But he enjoys seeing more of the Red Zone, not just the factory side. Jaehwan took him again on another route towards his apartment. Hakyeon doesn’t know how long it is, but he just enjoys it. The calmness of it all.

Jaehwan groans again, moving his fingers around. He has been doing it since Hakyeon picked him up, but he did it quietly. To begin with, he didn’t think much of it, maybe just tired, but now he knows it’s something else. Hakyeon slides his hand down his arm, around his wrist to get it out of the pocket. It’s the hand with metal wrapped around the fingers and the palm. But on the few areas of his skin has it exposed, there is a little bit of redness.

“Did you hurt yourself?” Hakyeon asks, looking at Jaehwan.

“Just a little. Forming glass always gets very hot.”

“Do you not wear any form of protection? Like gloves?”

Jaehwan shakes his head. He is much more comfortable telling Hakyeon about what is happening at the factory, how they are treated. Often even complains about it which is something Hakyeon isn’t used to, but he enjoys it.

“Sometimes, but not for the work I was doing. The rod we are using can sometimes still be hot when forming the glass and hot metal against metal isn’t a very good mix.”

“Most certainly not. Do you have ice, or anything cold?” Jaehwan nods. “Then we can maybe cool it down like that. Is your apartment close?”

“Uhm… yeah, but I can do it myself when I get home.”

“Jaehwan, let me help you, _please_.”

Jaehwan sighs, nodding with a heavy face. He takes a turn at one of the alleyways, Hakyeon following close by. Probably a direction that goes to his apartment, faster. It is a little late, Hakyeon would prefer not to walk back to the gates in the complete darkness that happens after midnight. And he’s scared of what he will meet on the way in the darkness. Jaehwan said that on the route he would take is relatively safe but he still doesn’t trust it.

Suddenly, they walk out of the alleyway and is on Main Street. There are so many routes around here, so many different directions that can be taken, how can Jaehwan figure them out and remember them all? Maybe the same way Hakyeon remembers all the street names in the Higher Zone and can navigate them easily. His apartment is there.

Hakyeon does not let go of his arm, not realizing they are holding hands again until Jaehwan opens the door of the building. Inside is made of wood, the staircase incredible small. Jaehwan can just fit in between the walls but both of them have to step sideways on the staircase. It goes up, nearly horizontally. Hakyeon can’t imagine walking up and down this every day and then in the dark.

“I live up on the second floor, so we just need to go up here,” Jaehwan says, letting go of his hand and starting the ascent up the stairs.

Hakyeon follows him, ascending slowly. He takes careful steps, not being able to see the steps properly. He reaches the second floor as Jaehwan opens the door. It’s a small level before the stairs continue and one door there. He must have a spacious apartment then.

Hakyeon takes those thoughts back as he enters the apartment. It’s a studio apartment as it would be called in the Higher Zone. There is a small kitchen, a door that must lead to the bathroom, a small section of the wall is extended out towards the street where the bed is. Jaehwan turns on the gas lamps, Hakyeon getting a chance to properly see the apartment.

It’s not spacious. There is a desk up against one of the walls, a lot of different materials, such as paper and pencils flowing around on the table. It looks like it hasn’t been touched in forever. There are shelves hanging on the wall with small boxes, weird out of place decorations Jaehwan might have found when wandering the streets or destroyed houses. The necklace Jaehwan found while Hakyeon was with him is there, hanging around a small figurine of an owl.

Hakyeon can recognize the woodwork of the owl. It’s familiar to something he has seen before but he can’t exactly put his finger on it. it’s very polished and fine work. He turns towards the bed where the sheets look dirty. Look like they have never been washed, the walls have splotches of water on them, and spiderwebs hanging in the corners of the apartment.

There is some rustling and Hakyeon turns to where Jaehwan stands at the freezer. It’s separate from the fridge, the kitchen looking as dirty as the rest of the apartment. Maybe he should help in cleaning one day, wash all of his clothing and sheets and get his metal decoration polished. And hire a whole team to clean his apartment. It desperately needs it.

“Here,” Jaehwan says, holding up a small bag of ice, avoiding eye contact, slightly looking down at the floor.

“Can you take all of that off yourself?” Hakyeon asks, taking the ice and pointing at the metal pieces.

“Yeah,” he says, removing the piece around his hand.

Hakyeon nods, continuing his wander around the small apartment. Maybe that’s why Jaehwan didn’t want to show him his apartment, to begin with, because he is embarrassed about it. He wanders over to the desk where the papers are flowing everywhere. There is a drawing of a woman on one of the papers, a very pretty woman with small features and hair styled up. She kinda reminds him of Jaehwan in a strange way.

“Hakyeon, can you help? The strap moved too far away.”

Hakyeon turns towards him. It’s the strap holding onto his shoulder pieces. The buckle has moved down to the lower part of his shoulder blade, a place he possibly couldn’t reach. Hakyeon puts the ice down where the papers are not and reach forward to remove the strap.

“What would you do if I weren’t here?” Hakyeon playfully asks.

“Probably cut it open. I have done that before, but since you’re here, thought it would just be easier than me wasting a leather strap.”

Hakyeon smiles and removes the metal piece. It’s heavy. How can he manage to hold it onto his shoulder for so long? He moves it around in his hands. There are scraps everywhere, cuts and it’s slowly rusting.

“What does this even protect from?”

“When working, I stand with my side towards the ovens, so it’s to keep the embers from burning my clothing.”

Hakyeon nods, placing it on the kitchen table where all the other pieces are.

“Let’s take a look at your hand, sit down,” Hakyeon says, pointing towards the bed for Jaehwan to sit. He obeys, going over there and sits down his hands, palm facing up resting on his thighs. Hakyeon takes the ice again, going over to inspect the redness. It’s not that strong and only seems to be minor burns.

Hakyeon, nevertheless, puts the ice on places where it seems the redness is strongest, sitting down next to him on the bed.

“Tell me if it hurts,” Hakyeon says and Jaehwan nods. Without all the metal on his legs and shoulder, he seems a lot smaller, a lot softer. He is only a little bit taller than Hakyeon but there is something that seems so young about him. A childlike innocence flowing off from him, especially in moments like these.

“I’m sorry for the apartment, it’s not exactly …”

“Glamorous?”

“Yeah, that word.”

“It’s lovely, feels like a home. Who’s the woman over there?” Hakyeon asks as he removes the ice from his palms, the redness already lessening.

“My mother,” he says, somewhat proudly and longingly.

That explains it. The woman has some of the same facial traits as Jaehwan.

“It’s very beautiful. You still remember how she looks like I assume then.”

Jaehwan stands up, going over to the shelves and opens a small box, taking out a few pictures. He looks at them before handing them over to Hakyeon.

“One of the few things that survived the war,” he says, sitting down again. Hakyeon takes the small stack of photos. It’s from when Jaehwan was a child. He immediately recognizes him between his two brothers. A small pouty baby, looking at around the age of maybe three years old.

There is a photo Jaehwan with his mother. It’s the one he used for reference for the drawing. She has very pretty styled hair and a lovely smile. He continues going through the pictures, one of Jaehwan holding fruits from what looks to be a farm, one that seems to be have been a year or so before the war, a chubby Jaehwan. Hakyeon smiles, laughing a little, handing back to the photos to Jaehwan.

“Lovely that they survived. Photos hold many memories.”

“I keep them safe. I knew where they were so I ran inside the house and grabbed them before we had to flee.”

His tone is becoming sad again. The war was worst in the very outer edge of the city, where Jaehwan and his family were. The things he must have seen, the horror he must have experienced for those two years of war. He holds the photo of his parents.

“Your mother is very beautiful,” Hakyeon says.

“Yeah, she was … Thank you for the help,” he says, standing up and putting the photos back.

His voice was shaky and a little weak. Hakyeon can feel the muscles in his arms tense up and a lump in his throat forming from the weakness of Jaehwan’s voice.

He stands up, going over to the desk to look at the other drawings. Some are of flowers, birds or just landscapes; all made of charcoal. As soon as he touches the paper, the charcoal blends onto his fingers, even though he barely touched them. It’s cheap and most likely something he found or made from scraps. The same way Hakyeon and his brother would collect their material.

“You are very talented. Have you ever thought of selling these?”

“I don’t really want to. I just prefer doing it as a hobby, whenever I have the time for it.”

He must not have a lot of time. With the work at the factory, he must only draw during the very late evening, maybe he doesn’t even have the time for that anymore since walking with Hakyeon results in him coming home later than normal. He must not have a lot of free time just during the week, to spend with others. When was the last time he went out, acted as a young person, someone his age?

“Jaehwan, when do you end on Saturday?”

“At around 9 pm, why?”

“My friend is having a party, at eight. Do you want to come along to it?”

Jaehwan seems taken back, breathing in deeply.

“I am not sure…”

“It’s not a Higher Zone party, it’s people only from the Midway Zone. It’s fine if you don’t want to, I just thought it might be fun. You showed me the normal things of Red Zone, time for me to show you a little bit more of the other zones.”

He stills seems a little uncomfortable about it, unsure of what to say or do. He looks down at the desk, his fingertips just barely touching the table as if he is trying to reach out for it.

“Okay then… I will try.”

“Thank you. You can just stick with me, nothing will happen to you.”

Hakyeon smiles at him, trying to grab his attention. Jaehwan smiles back but it seems forced, unnatural.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the next chapter will be the party, and the name of the place, Talbot House, is a real hotel in Poperinge, in Belgium which I have stayed at. It's a historical museum/hotel and is incredible lovely so I thought it fitted perfectly with this type of environment and concept. And exciting things are going to happen in the next chapter.
> 
> Once again, thank you for reading. I appreciate every single comment and kudos, and I hope you are enjoying the story. 
> 
> I am active on twitter @zeze_moonlight


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A single night can change everything. A risk taking decision and a brave step can make everything better.

Jaehwan buttons up the last button on the dark brown west, looking down at himself. The off-white collar shirt with no tie and somewhat loose-fitting pants all show him off in a different way. Much more mature, formal and handsome. If he walked around in the Midway Zone dressed like that, no one would suspect him coming from the lowest class. He would blend in perfectly.

Hakyeon wasn’t sure if the clothing would fit. It’s his brother’s old attire, something he found after he realized that Jaehwan needed a new outfit for the party and that none of his clothing would fit him, but luckily this fitted. The west and the pants doesn’t completely fit in terms of color, but most will say his style is contemporary and artistic, when in reality, Hakyeon couldn’t find the matching pants and he was in a hurry. 

Hakyeon styled his hair a little. Jaehwan mostly has his hair down, non styled and quite messy, even a little bit greasy and oily. Hakyeon removed the hair from his forehead, exposing it and styled it a little, making it look more formal.

Jaehwan steps over to Hakyeon, presenting himself. Hakyeon looks up from playing with the pocket watch, looking at Jaehwan up and down. He smiles, satisfied with the look.

“What do you think?” Hakyeon asks, standing up and putting the watch back inside of his pants pocket.

He looks down himself, putting his hands inside the pockets.

“It’s … different. The fabric feels weird, and I’ve never worn anything like this. It’s very up-class.”

He walks up to him, fixing the west and making sure it sits properly.

“You look good in it. I’m glad it fits, I was nervous it wouldn’t. And yeah it feels weird, but I couldn’t have you come in your work clothing.”

“Is my normal clothing that bad?” Jaehwan says, lightheartedly.

“No no, it’s not bad, it’s just not exactly an party outfit. It’s work attire, just thought it would be more comfortable. Does the west sit too tight?”

“I think it sits alright. Still just… different from what I usually wear. I’ve never worn something like this.”

“You don’t like it?” Hakyeon asks, folding up the sleeves a little bit.

“No, I like it. Just. feels weird to have actual nice clothing,” Jaehwan says, smiling, moving his hands down the west to feel the material.

Hakyeon is wearing one of his favorite dark blue suits with white striped pants and no blazer. It’s not that formal of a party. If it was, he would already be in a panic of how late they are. The party started over an hour ago and Hakyeon wouldn’t be surprised if Jaeho is annoyed at him already. Jaeho should appreciate he is even coming and actually dressed up for the occasion. Even took the time to curl his hair, something that takes a long time but Hayoon helped, curling his hair in the back while he did the front. His niece was very fascinated and wanted to put bows in his hair to make him look ‘extra pretty’. Jaehwan found that story very endearing.

They leave the apartment together, walking over towards the guards. It’s Jaehwan’s second time outside of the Red Zone. First time interacting with people from the higher middle class. Hakyeon shows his ID and Jaehwan shows his work license before they enter Midway Zone. They walk for a bit before Hakyeon starts calling for a taxi.

“Just stick with me and you will be safe.”

Jaehwan nods as he sits in the taxi, Hakyeon sitting next to him and giving the address of the hotel. It’s not too far away. 

“What is this place we are going?” Jaehwan asks, fiddling with one of the buttons on his west.

“It’s called Talbot House. We also work as a small hotel, but it’s a very popular place for parties or events to be held there, in our generation anyway. It used to be a place for soldiers to stay during the war but has been rearranged.”

“And you are sure it’s fine I’m coming along?”

“Of course. There are going to be many people we have no clue who are. That’s how parties here works. You invite a medium sized group of people, they talk to their friends about the party and they come along. You will be just fine.”

Jaehwan nods but doesn’t look completely convinced. The taxi stops in front of a large White House. It was three floors plus an attic. The entire building is white with grand windows and a much grander door. There are three flags hanging in the level between the second and third floor. The city flag, the country flag and then another flag Hakyeon has no idea what is. 

They both step out, Hakyeon paying the taxi driver while Jaehwan stands in awe, looking up at the building. The main entrance door is also white with windows but a entriced pattern in front of the windows, carved out from the material of the door. There are is music coming from inside the building and Hakyeon can hear laughter coming from the other side of the building, in the garden in the back.

“Do we just go in?” Jaehwan asks, Hakyeon already walking up to the front door.

“Yeah, I doubt they would hear us knock anyway,” he says, jokingly, opening the large door and the live music immediately becomes louder. 

Hakyeon waves Jaehwan in and he is the first one of them to step inside, looking around the interior. There is a high ceiling, a carpet rolled out on the entire floor, paintings hanging on the floor and chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, brightening up the room to the point where it nearly hurts. There are people walking around, women slandering around in pants suits, a few wearing long skirts or evening spring dresses; very flowy yet elegant. 

Hakyeon steps inside, closing the door, watching as people wander up and down the stairs, some going outside but most walking around; talking to their friends or an upcoming one night stand. There is also many people inside of the large room, dancing to the music. It’s loud and the atmosphere is exciting, but it’s different from the bars atmosphere. Here, the light is brighter, the air is filled with something else.

“Hakyeon! Finally you came,” Jaeho says, suddenly coming over to him. “I thought I was going to have to come to your house and kick you.” He puts his arm around his shoulder, pulling his closer before looking at Jaehwan. Hakyeon can smell his breath, full of alcohol and nicotine. “Who is this?”

“He-“

“My name is Jaehwan, Lee Jaehwan. Hakyeon invited me,” Jaehwan says himself, sounding surprisingly confident.

“The more the merrier, drinks at the bar and food in the kitchen. Third floor for hook ups if you are too lazy to take them home, enjoy the party.”

He says that as he walks back outside, where he most likely came from. Jaehwan looks after him, waiting for the door to close before turning to Hakyeon again.

“He’s your friend?”

“Yeah, but he’s normally not like this. I promise. Wanna go get some drinks?”

Jaehwan nods, walking together with Hakyeon towards the bar inside of one of the rooms. The rooms are large and spacious, making it feel less crowded. Hakyeon takes two that are already placed on the bar, handing one of them to Jaehwan who sits down on the bench up against the window. Hakyeon sits down next to him, looking outside the window behind them.

Jaeho is standing with a large group, smoking, and drinking large bottles. It doesn’t look like store bought cigarettes. Most of them are rolling them themselves. Hakyeon makes a face of disgust, before turning to Jaehwan. He looks around, large eyes, staring at the people walking.

“It’s not exactly like your favorite bar, but it’s very popular.”

“It’s very … pretty.” He says, constantly turning his head around to look at the decorations. “How did you meet him? Your friend?”

Hakyeon lets out a deep breath. “Uhm, long story short, it was before the war. Because my parents had lived in the Midway Zone and grew up there, they thought it was a good idea to send my siblings and I into education in that zone but not in the lower middle class, they wanted us in the higher middle class. I meet Jaeho in kindergarten there, and him and I have just been friends ever since.”

“So you went to school in the Midway Zone?”

“Yeah, till a certain level. I think it was around when I was 18, so I finished my basic school education that I switched over to Higher Zone universities and studied there … do you, uhm, have an…”

Jaehwan shakes his head. “I went to school until I was nine years old and then the war happened. I do remember how to read though and I can somewhat write but not very well. It’s the level of a kindergartener,” he says, laughing.

He doesn’t understand how he can laugh at that, make jokes about it. He doesn’t really see the entertaining part of it. Just the sad and depressing aspect of Jaehwan not having the opportunity to receive a proper education. But there is most likely many children that have it like that in the Red Zone.

“How’s the news apartment going? The renovation?” Jaehwan asks, leaning back.

“Oh, perfect. Everything is going after the plan. I went out with Hayoon and chose furnitures. I am excited to show it to you, I want you to come over and see it when it’s finished.”

“I am already very excited. Will you then cook for me?”

Hakyeon laughs. “I am not the best cook, so we'll see about that. Maybe I will order some delicious food, then you can also fatten up a bit.”

“Don’t turn me into a pig.”

“I else think the pink skin and curly tiny tail will suit you.”

“Going around and start making pig noises.” He makes a sound that faintly resembles the sound of a pig. Hakyeon laughs, having to place his drink on a table nearby to make sure not to spill. “Kinda sounds like you, a few weeks ago when you started making pig noises while laughing.”

“I did not!” 

“Yes you did, they were small and you got all red in the face afterwards.”

“At least I make sound when laughing. If I wasn’t looking at you, I wouldn’t know when you are laughing,” Hakyeon fires back.

“Remember the watermelon farm I told you about? The one close to my home from before the war?”

Hakyeon nods. Jaehwan and his family used to live right next to a watermelon farm, where him and his brothers would go and collect watermelons from the people there. They would often get them from free, watermelons that were too small to be sold off on the market or imported into the city. 

“They had this huge barn, where parties would sometimes be held. It was where I was to my first ‘party’, it was a wedding but still somewhat a party. I was maybe around 8 years old or so, and I remember tasting alcohol for the first time.”

“At 8?”

“Yes, the person just handed a glass to my brothers and I and we took them, tasted it. It was horrible. Now, luckily, I have turned around.” He says, lifting to his drink up to show it half full already before taking a large sip.

“I’m curious to see you drunk, how you will act. Goal for tonight, get you drunk.”

Jaehwan laughs, his eyes becoming small and his smile nearly filling his entire face. He has never seen him smile that largely before. It makes Hakyeon stop for a few seconds, completely paralyzed, but his heart basically beating in his ears. There is suddenly loud cheering from inside the room of where people are dancing, people grabbing partners and starting to dance around in small circles, dancing close.

“You wanna dance?” Hakyeon asks before he thinks properly, standing up. The words just came out of his mouth.

“I’m not a good dancer.”

“You don’t have to be a good dancer, I will take the lead. Come on.”

Hakyeon reaches his hand out for Jaehwan to take it. He seems hesitant, not really sure if he wants to take it or not. Hakyeon regrets his decision, he shouldn’t have asked, he shouldn’t have offered. How dumb can he be? As he is about to pull his hand back and apologize, Jaehwan reaches out and takes it, standing up as well and putting the glass on the table.

“Lead the way,” Jaehwan says.

Hakyeon feels a moment of relief, not having to live the embarrassment of this. He leads them both into the large room, recognizing the song. It’s a very popular song for people to dance to, especially in partners.

“Let me guess, you took dancing lessons when you were young,” Jaehwan says, as they stand in front of each other, Hakyeon already preparing to take the lead.

“I did, but it would have been a disgrace otherwise. I only know ballroom dancing, but it’s good enough. Also, I am still young, excuse you.”

“How old were you again, 30? 33? Ugh.”

Hakyeon pulled Jaehwan close to him, so his chest hits against his own for the remarks he made, making him gasps in shock. Hakyeon’s arm around his surprisingly thin waist, their hands interlocked and Jaehwan’s left hand on his shoulder.

“Careful with what you say,” Hakyeon says playfully, pressing his hand down on his skin, not enough to make it hurt but enough for Jaehwan to feel it. Jaehwan doesn’t get a chance to respond before Hakyeon takes the lead in the dance and they start moving around on the floor, amongst the other couples.

Jaehwan smiles and laughs as he is twirled around on the floor, guided by Hakyeon. They dance in between the other couples, the music is the only thing that is guiding Hakyeon of how fast and how slow he is suppose to go. He tries to predict the rhythm of it and the general tempo and he seems to be doing it fine. They have not stumbled into anyone yet. Normally, when he is the one leading the dance, the other person is smaller than him, making it easier to do the underarm swing. He can do it with Jaehwan, he just has to raise his arm higher than normal.

Jaehwan follows him, his footing completely off. He even does accidentally step on Hakyeon’s toe, forcing him to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from showing the pain. But the mistake doesn’t repeat itself. Jaehwan seems to have a permanent smile on his face, his arm having moved around Hakyeon’s neck so they are closer. Close enough for Hakyeon to feel Jaehwan’s breath against his lips, cold and fast breathing, his hand wishing to push Jaehwan closer, to stop the distance between them completely. 

Under the dance, his hand moved from his shoulder blade to around his waist. Jaehwan leans in and Hakyeon can feel his heart stopping for a moment, but there is never any form of impact against each other, only Jaehwan leaning in to rest his chin on Hakyeon’s shoulder as the song changes to a much slower tempo. His skin is hot and burning, his mouth dry. 

“You didn’t lie when you said you were a good dancer,” Jaehwan whispers.

Hakyeon hums, not sure what to reply. He isn’t even completely sure if his answer would have been audible. The song finally end and Jaehwan leans away again. Hakyeon still feels warm, trying to keep his hands from shaking. It’s very warm, especially with so many people walking around them, all moving and their excitement or arousal radiating off from their bodies.

“Shall we go outside for a bit?” Hakyeon asks Jaehwan, and he nods. Hakyeon hesitates for a bit before taking Jaehwan’s hand, leading him over to the back door.

Immediately outside is where everyone is smoking, large groups sitting together. He can see Jaeho amongst them. Why did he want him to come if he weren’t even going to socialize with him? Hakyeon stares at him, waiting for him to notice and make eye contact but he is too busy. Jaehwan tugs at his hand, making him walk again. They walk together away from the smoke and the smell, further into the long garden, up towards the hotel rooms that is separated from the main building, walking along the pathway.

“He seems like an interesting friend,” Jaehwan comments.

“I didn’t know he had started smoking again. I know he started in vocational school, but I also thought he had stopped.”

“Maybe he just does it around those people. To fit in. People are willing to do a lot to be accepted. When I started working at the factory, when I was fourteen, I drank and smoked together with the older workers, because I thought I would be accepted then.”

“Were you?”

“Not really, they just used it as an excuse to order me around. Pick up alcohol for them, cigarettes, would even pressure me into using my earned money on snacks for them.”

“That’s horrible.”

Jaehwan shrugs. “It’s the past, but some people are willing to go far to fit in,” he looks up at the sky. “The sky is very clear. You can see some stars.”

“There is too much light pollution here. It’s not like it the outer edge of the city, when you used to live here.”

Jaehwan smiles, Hakyeon watching his eyes fill with happiness. He finds comfort and pleasure in such simple things, no wonder he can be so content with so little. Their hands are still intertwined, neither of them really wanting to let go. As Jaehwan continues to watch the sky, Hakyeon’s eyes start following the profile of his face, his long nose tip, his straight jaw but he seems to linger on his lips. The plump and pink lips, his own suddenly feeling very dry.

Jaehwan turns to look at him, the smile falling. He lifts their interlocked hands up a little, leaning in a little.

“You look pale,” he says. “Are you cold? Should we go inside?”

Hakyeon shakes his head, not wanting to go back inside. He wants to stay here, alone with Jaehwan. He tries to keep his eyes from falling on his lips. Why is he suddenly thinking all of this? Imagining all of this? How it would be to kiss him, to hold him? He doesn’t even know if Jaehwan feels in anyway the same. They have only known each other for a month, why does Hakyeon already have such strong feelings towards him?

“Hakyeon, you are shaking,” Jaehwan says, putting his hand up on his neck. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I just…” 

He doesn’t finish the sentence. He doesn’t even know what he was trying to say. But, he puts a hand on the back of Jaehwan’s neck and takes the step that keeps them separated, still keeping a small distance. He presses his lips against Jaehwan’s. It’s barely a kiss, more of a peck. He just needed to feel, feel how soft his lips were, how they would feel against his. Jaehwan seems to have frozen completely and when there is no form of respond, Hakyeon pulls himself away, and stare into his eyes.

Jaehwan is breathing heavily, his hand seemingly having gone cold against Hakyeon’s neck. He messed up, he ruined it, he ruined everything. Hakyeon takes a small step back, but Jaehwan snakes his arm around his waist and pull him against his chest, him kissing Hakyeon this time. Hakyeon takes a moment to respond to the sudden crash, returning the favor, moving his lips in response and immediately deepening the kiss a little. He moves his arms around Jaehwan’s neck, allowing him to take control, leading the dance this time.

Hakyeon feels energy spark through his entire body. This moment, it feels wonderful. It feels perfect. He can’t think of anything except trying to grasp the moment, realise that him and Jaehwan are kissing and how close they are with each other. They stop and Jaehwan pulls away a little, their noses touching each other still. Hakyeon is too scared to open his eyes, not wanting to face reality, not wanting to maybe see the possible regret written all over Jaehwan’s face. He feels someone touch his lips, Jaehwan moving his thumb over his bottom lip.

Hakyeon opens his eyes, staring into Jaehwan’s eyes. They are shining, there is so much light and happiness in them, he feels as if he is watching stars dance in his pupils. He makes a small smile.

“You’re still shaking.”

Hakyeon can’t stop himself from laughing, the joy overflowing inside of him.

“Now… Now we can go inside.”

Jaehwan lets go of Hakyeon, somewhat reluctantly, but Hakyeon takes his hand, lacing their fingers together, walking back up towards the house. He ignores Jaeho this time, walking inside and heading towards the main entrance.

“Do I need to walk you home?”

“How late is it?”

“It’s nearly 11.”

“You can bring me to the gate between the zones, and I will walk home from there, else you have to walk home in the dark.”

Hakyeon nods, opening the heavy door and both of them leaving. Hakyeon calls a taxi which drives them to the gate, asking for the taxi driver to wait for him. They sat in mainly silence the entire ride home, but Jaehwan doesn’t let go of Hakyeon’s hand. That’s the only form of acknowledgement that Hakyeon has, to know Jaehwan does not regret it. But what are they now? A couple? Simple lovebirds? Does he need to ask him if there are together? 

Hakyeon steps out of the taxi together with Jaehwan, the only time in the span of twenty minutes where their hands separated. 

“Did you have least have fun?” Hakyeon asks him. They are standing a little bit away from the gate, where the guards can’t really see them.

“Yes, it was entertaining. Just the same time tomorrow at the bridge?”

“Of course, as always.”

He smiles, but Hakyeon stops him from leaving, softly holding onto his arms. He leans in to kiss him again, loving how it feels. His lips are a little bit dry, but it’s still the most wonderful feeling he has experienced. As he pulls away, Jaehwan’s smile got bigger and it seems like the stars are back in his eyes. How he wish he could stay, stay the night or bring him back to the estate. Or just stay in this moment for longer.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he says, letting go. “Bye.”

“Bye,” Jaehwan says softly before leaving, entering the gate. Hakyeon stays and watches him until he is completely gone, completely out of his sight. The taxi driver honks the horn, and it snaps Hakyeon out of his thoughts, realising the hugely dumb smile there is plastered on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. I'm very happy with this chapter and now that they are finally together, much more of the fun and angst can begin
> 
> I appreciate kudos and comments, find me on twitter at @zeze_moonlight


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With lies starting to bloom, Hakyeon must be careful with his words, with what he says to who and who is keeping a watchful eye on him

The next couple of evenings, they become more touchy with each other, more open about their relationship in public. Holding hands, walking arm in arm, or even Jaehwan just stopping to hug him and hold him close. While none of them has said anything about what exactly their relationship is now, Hakyeon can feel that it’s more than just lovebirds, more than just a fling. It didn’t take him long, only a few kisses to find out that Jaehwan is ticklish when he kisses his ear, making him giggle and curl up a little bit. And as they are now standing in front of Jaehwan’s apartment once again, at the end of their routinely evening walks, Hakyeon finds it hard to let go of him.

He wants to stay, continue their conversation, the small kisses they exchange with each other, the quiet moments where they are just together but there is no need for sound to fill the empty space. Hakyeon has been in a few relationships, and few have made him fall so hard for the other person. 

Hakyeon holds around Jaehwan’s waist, Jaehwan resting his head on his shoulder, while his arms are lazily draping over his chest. He leans down to plant a small kiss on his forehead, just barely touching the skin with his lips.

“Do you have to leave?” Jaehwan asks in a small whisper, his eyes closed.

“If I stay, it would probably be here for the entire night and I have a breakfast to go to tomorrow morning. I’m scared I would be late.”

“But I wake up early for work anyway. We could leave at the same time.”

Jaehwan lifts his head so they are face to face, his arms having moved around his neck and Hakyeon pulling him closer, closing his arms around his small waist. He pouts and Hakyeon smiles, leaning in to kiss his pouty lips.

“Another day, I promise. I have to go now if I don’t want to arrive too late at home.”

He sighs, pouting even more, which Hakyeon tries to cure with a kiss. Cupping his cheek and pressing Jaehwan against him, as he makes the kiss slow and as romantic as possible in the dark streets. As he pulls away, Jaehwan is smiling again.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Hakyeon says, and Jaehwan nods, sharing one last quick kiss before they walk their separate ways. As Hakyeon walks back, his fingers keep touching his lips, the slight harsh texture of Jaehwan’s against his own. He smiles, knowing that tomorrow evening, he will see him again.

 

He woke up early the next morning, wearing the clothing that was laid out for him and had one of the servants help slightly curling his hair. At precisely 7:30, he was downstairs, waiting in the tea room together with Hayoon, her husband, their father, and mother. The children are all sent to childcare or in school, going to be picked up later. They are waiting for the Pai family to arrive for breakfast, the point of the meeting to discuss the process of the blimp. 

The main door opens up and the many footsteps start making their way to the tea room, Hakyeon standing up, ready to greed them. The Pai family enters, the two families greeting each other respectively before sitting down, the servants coming in and out with the food placed on the tables. Sunhee sits down next to Hakyeon.

“I like your curly hair, it’s very nice,” she says.

“Thank you, you also look very lovely today.” 

She smiles, leaning back in the chair, turning her attention to the servant pouring up the tea in the cups.

“So, now is the process going? Everything according to the plan I hope,” Hakyeon’s father asked.

“Of course. The workers are working efficiently and well, meeting every deadline. I was thinking, that after breakfast we could go to the factory and see the work there. Show you the progress so far.”

“Uh, that sounds wonderful. Then we can discuss with the managers there as well, and I’ve never been to your factories,” his mother says. Hakyeon leans back, listening to the conversation.

Going to the Pai factory, maybe seeing Jaehwan there. Does he want to? The conditions in factories are horrible and unfair towards the workers, not taking into account their health. What if he sees Jaehwan working in the worst possible conditions, suffering. He takes a deep breath, lifting up his chin. This will be a great challenge but he might have to go through with it.

“Have we decided a course for the charity event?” Hayoon asks, putting her cup down. Her husband mostly stays quiet. He’s not a real part of the family, just an addition.

“We were going to ask if you have any suggestions. It is always said we should listen to the younger generation, so do you know any charities we could collect money for?” Mrs. Pai asks.

“Maybe one for a disease, or education in the Midway Zone,” Sunhee suggests.

“The Midway Zone has fine education, if it should be anywhere, it should be the Red Zone. Why not do an overall charity for that zone, money that can be used for rebuilding houses, schools, hospitals, just to overall raise their quality of life,” Hakyeon says, thinking back to the things Jaehwan has told him. 

How most children only have primary education and is impossible for them to educate themselves further unless moving to the Midway Zone. How their medicine is not reliable and that a lot of people die of disease every year because they can afford it. As he says this, he can feel Hayoon look questionably at him, sharp eyes and a focused face, but he ignores it. 

“Ah, of course, Hakyeon always comes with the best suggestions. This will definitely please the government and pay even more for the blimp.”

If the government has so much money to spare, why don’t they use that to help the Red Zone instead of them having to do a charity event? He nearly says it out loud, but stops himself, knowing it won’t do anything well.

“We could sell the tickets for a high price. Coming to such an event and when in a blimp, people are willing to pay a lot for that. And let’s hold an auction there, selling art pieces from different artists.”

“Oh, all of this sounds so wonderful!” Hakyeon’s mother exclaim. “I know a few artists who I know are willing to donate a few of their original pieces for us to auction off. We should start inviting people already. Who do we want to come?”

“Definitely politicians, most everyone from this zone, maybe even some of the inventors. Celebrities too. Everyone who has a name for themselves in the different zones.”

They continue to discuss while Hakyeon sips his tea. It’s a very serious discussion of who they should invite for the event. Maybe if he keeps quiet, they won’t ask for his opinion. He doesn’t care who comes or doesn’t, he just knows that he will have to be presentable that day, make sure to not mess up their family name, make connections for future investments.

Sunhee suddenly leans in.

“Who was the man you were with at the party at Talbot here the other day?” She asks in a whisper. Hayoon turns to listen in on their conversation.

Hakyeon freezes, feeling his hands tighten around the armchair, his knuckles slowly turning white. He didn’t know Sunhee was there, he didn’t even see her. He controls the fear, hiding it and turning towards Sunhee.

“I didn’t know you were there,” he says, trying to avoid the question.

“Just shortly. I had to pick up one of my friends, to help her get home and I saw you outside in the yard with someone. I didn’t want to disturb whatever you were doing, but who was he? I didn’t recognize him.”

“I didn’t expect you to know people from the Midway Zone, Sunhee. And I surely didn’t expect you go to places like Talbot. It’s not very … you,” Hayoon says, saving Hakyeon from having to lie about Jaehwan.

“I don’t really-“

“I have a lot of friends from the Midway Zone, more than from the Higher Zone. I wouldn’t expect you to recognize any at all,” Hakyeon says.

If she just saw them as they were in the garden, hopefully, she just saw them talking. Not the kiss, hear their conversation or anything like that. Hopefully not anything she will be able to use against him. She doesn’t look convinced or pleased with the answers, pouting slightly and getting ready to come with counter attacks.

“So, kids, are we ready to leave for the factory?” Mr. Pai says, standing up, the servants already coming over with their coats. Hakyeon sighs happily, taking his coat from the servant. He doesn’t have to deal with being interrogated about Jaehwan from Sunhee, but he is certain Hayoon will ask him later.

They all take the cars over there, each family driving in their respectable vehicle. The Cha family drives after the Pai, following them on the route towards the factories. 

“What is your obsession with the Red Zone?” Hayoon asks, both of them sitting in the back of the seat while the driver sits at the front. Their parents are in a car in front of them, giving them more privacy to talk.

“After I went for a walk there, it just seemed so fallen and ruined. It’s been on my mind a lot lately. I am just trying to help it,” he answers, which is not necessarily a lie. He does feel pity and guilt seeing the horrors of the Red Zone.

She huffs. “And who was the man?”

“A friend of mine from the Midway Zone, I met him recently.”

“Uh, like a friend or a … friend?” she asks, dragging out the last friend to emphasize the meaning. Hakyeon shakes his head and rolls his eyes.

“A simple friend,” he answers, with a stern voice to get his message across. That’s the first lie. Hopefully, he doesn’t have to do anymore.

Driving into the Red Zone, the sky becomes darker and the air thicker of smoke and ash, people walking in the thick mist seeming like ghosts. Hayoon looks out the window in disgust, shivering at the sight. Hakyeon has to admit, it’s not a very beautiful view, it's terrifying. 

They stop at the large factories, small chimneys standing at about 30 meters high, thick smoke constantly being pumped out. There is a constant loud noise coming from inside the factory and large delivery vans driving in and out. It’s something different than when Hakyeon was here, picking up Jaehwan from work. It’s much more different but at the same place. They enter through the back door, meeting with some of the managers that guide them to a high platform going through the entire factory. 

Managers and leaders of the different teams stand there, keeping an eye that everything goes in the correct order.

“As you can see, we are working very diligently, we have had no problems so far and no delays. The workers for the blimp itself is in another section but the main body, so where we will all be is slowly being finished.”

Mr. Pai makes a smile towards Hakyeon’s parents, a mocking smile nearly, showing off their construction. Their factories are what will be building the motor, the machinery and the fabric for the blimp itself. Everything there is also going according to the plan. Hakyeon steps over to the edge, holding onto the fence and looking down towards the floor where the workers are. Jaehwan said he was working with glass. His eyes start scanning after a glass oven or anything similar, and after a few seconds of searching, his eyes lock on a long row of them and as he had hoped, Jaehwan is there.

He’s holding a long metal rod in one hand and long pliers in the other, forming what seems to be very strong heated glass, wearing the safety glasses that normally hang around his neck. He’s looking down but Hakyeon can recognize the hair and the clothing. He can’t help but smile, watching as the glass figure slowly starts taking form into an animal, what seems to be a dragon.

“Your factory workers are doing the decorations as well? I would have assumed some artists would be doing that,” Hayoon says, eyes wandering over the glass formers as well.

“Yes, but where we can save money, we will do so. And we have a lot of talented workers here, they are more can capable of sculpting and carving the different decorations for the interior.”

“You have strong faith in them. I’m impressed.”

A loud siren goes through the entire factory and most of the workers start laying down their material, turning off whatever machine they were working on.

“They are their short break now, getting some water and fresh air before starting again. Come, let’s discuss the timeline with some of the managers.”

“Can I go down and take a closer look?” Hakyeon asks.

“Most certainly not!” One of the managers exclaim, Hakyeon feeling his pride hurt.

“The boy is just curious, he and his brother would always go down and look around. Sure you may, but don’t touch anything.” Mr. Pai says, waving Hakyeon away over to the stairs further down.

He bows, thanking him before walking over to the stairs, feeling a pair of eyes in his back. The others leave and most of the glass formers stay, making sure they can finish whatever they are working on before it becomes too cold. Hakyeon gets downstairs, enjoying the newfound silence of the machines had stopped. He stays at the stairs, watching Jaehwan.

There are still other workers, but how he just wishes he could go over and hug him and kiss him, seeing him smile. He seems to finish, making a few small adjustments before dipping the entire thing in water to cool it down, placing it down and removing his safety glasses. Hakyeon coughs to catch his attention, a smile immediately spreading. He eyes the other workers before pointing towards a door close to him. Hakyeon immediately walks over towards the dirty door, over the ash and grey floor. 

It’s a small hallway inside, and it’s rather dark. The door opens shortly after and Jaehwan comes in. He barely enters before Hakyeon has pulled him towards him, crashing their lips together. He can feel Jaehwan’s smile through the kiss. Suddenly there is an intense heat on his back.

“Ow-ow-ow,” he says, grabbing whatever it is and forcing it away, seeing it’s Jaehwan’s hand and the heated metal around his fingers. “How do you stand wearing this?”

“I’m sorry and I don’t really feel it that much. Why are you here?”

“The Pai family wanted us to come and see the process of the blimp, showing off that everything is going according to the plan. Am I stealing your break?” He asks, moving closer so they lips are just barely touching each other, cupping his face with his hands.

“Not at all,” he says, connecting their lips. He doesn’t know how long they have, but if he could stay like this for the entire break, he wouldn’t mind at all. Jaehwan is careful as to not touch him with the warm metal, moving his lips accordingly to Hakyeon’s.

They are standing close and Hakyeon presses himself against Jaehwan, making a small roll of his hips against him, feeling the friction which forces a moan out of his mouth. It’s like music, but still too early. He isn’t sure where Jaehwan’s boundaries lie, where his limits are, how he reacts. He has to take it slow, make sure not to mess anything up and make sure Jaehwan is comfortable. The loud sirens roar again, Jaehwan sighing.

“I can guess that means your break is over.” 

“Yeah, but we will see each other tonight, right?”

“Yes, we will. Just at the usual spot. Don’t burn yourself this time,” Hakyeon says, kissing him again before finally letting him go, going back to each their own realities, going back to hiding their secret, for now at least. Hakyeon chuckles a little thinking of how his family would react if they knew that he was with Jaehwan if they knew he is together with someone from the lowest bottom.

He can already feel his grandparents turn in their graves out of shame.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hakyeon and Jaehwan has to stay warm on a cold rainy night

“Why are you so …excited in telling them?”

They are sitting outside underneath the roof of the small supermarket Jaehwan took Hakyeon to one of the days they walked together. When Hakyeon picked up Jaehwan at the bridge, he could hear his stomach growl, dragging him to the supermarket and forcing him to eat, Jaehwan telling of how he was forced to skip the meals at the factory again due to work overload. It’s raining heavily and neither of them brought an umbrella along, waiting for the rain to stop as Jaehwan is eating one of the sandwiches Hakyeon bought for him.

“I am not keen or eager to tell them, I just had the thought last night, how would they react?”

Hakyeon had the insane thought of how his family would react if he told them he was in a relationship with Jaehwan, someone from the lowest class, a factory worker. He can already imagine the visual of his horrified mother, the shock on her face when he would tell her. His parents have always been strict about dating but now that he is getting in this older age, they keep wanting him to go out and find someone. Now that he actually does, he can’t even tell them.

“From what you’ve told me about your parents, I don’t think their reaction would be positive. They seem … not laid back but old.”

“Traditional? Conservative? Well, they are. I could imagine my sisters would be more accepting, shocked at first, but accepting. My niece and nephews would love you.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re cute.”

A warmth starts growing to his cheek, slowly turning red at the comment, looking down at the ground and a small shy smile on his lips. Hakyeon snakes around in front of him, pecking his lips before returning to his previous position which makes him blush even more than before. Hakyeon smiles before turning his attention to the weather again. It’s raining heavily and the store didn’t have an umbrella. Apparently, they are not sold in the Red Zone, for some odd reason. He can see a few gaps in the clouds, hoping that it will give them enough time to run to Jaehwan’s apartment and enough time for Hakyeon to run back to the main gate and get a taxi. 

Normally, Jaehwan would just walk home in the rain, but Hakyeon refused. He does not want to get wet from the rain, ruin his clothing and be uncomfortable on the entire way home. And walking in the rain is not very romantic either. 

“How are things with Jaeho?” Jaehwan asks, finishing the sandwich and putting the paper foil in his pocket.

“I haven’t seen much to him since the party which honestly doesn’t surprise me. He has a tendency to just disappear sometimes, but he’s probably fine. He always reappears after a little bit.”

“Hm, why are you still friends with him?”

“When you have been friends with someone for your entire life, it’s not as simple as just cutting them off. It’s more complicated. And it’s just not something you just do. I already felt a long time ago that we were growing apart. I started disliking most of his friends, saying they were bad for him and using him because he is from the wealthier area of the Midway Zone, but he didn’t listen. He rarely ever does.”

“He doesn’t sound like a good friend. I mean, it’s fine you try to protect him but it clearly isn’t working, so why bother?”

“Because I guess I still care for him in some ways. He can do better. I just hate seeing him be around people that are not good for him, using him for their own advantage and pleasure. I tried making friends with them but I didn’t like them so I stopped. I remember him getting angry at me.”

“Seems like Jaeho is a bit of a mess.”

Hakyeon doesn’t answer. He doesn’t feel like he has a proper answer yet. Doesn’t really know what to do. It would seem so strange, Jaeho, a person he has known for so many years and suddenly having to cut ties with him. Maybe it is for the better. Suddenly the rain stops and there is a small clearing in the evening sky. Hakyeon is immediately on his feet, grabbing Jaehwan to pull him along.

“Let’s hurry before it starts raining again, this jacket can’t get wet.”

“Or what, will it break?” Jaehwan asks, jokingly as they jog down the street towards the apartment.

“Yes, it will,” he says, dead serious.

There is thunder in the background, just on the horizon and the bright flashes of light following with the sound of a loud bang. It’s building up for a stronger storm tonight. 

“Is your apartment going to be able to withstand?” Hakyeon asks as they reach the apartment, Jaehwan unlocking the front door.

“Yeah, it should. The worst thing I’ve tried is a few tiles falling off from the roof or the chimney falling down.”

Hakyeon stands wide-eyed. “Yes, because that’s nothing,” he says with obvious sarcasm.

“It’s better than what some of the other buildings can experience. Remember the hurricane that came a few years ago? A few houses completely fell during it, just a few blocks from here. Most of the outer area of the zone had to be moved somewhere else, to protect them from the flood.”

Hakyeon remembers that hurricane. Their estate luckily did not receive a lot of damage and they were overall in a safe area from flooding, only their garden and one part of their basement received water from it. But their factories were not as lucky. A large portion of it was completely destroyed and had to be rebuilt from scratch and it gave their family a set back in production. 

“Get inside,” Jaehwan says, holding the door open for him. He enters, walking upstairs towards the apartment, Jaehwan being just behind him and opening the door. It’s cold inside, just as much as it was outside.

He moves his hands up and down his arms to create some form of warmth, mostly just wishing to get some heat inside of the apartment. From the sound on the roof, the rain must have started again. Jaehwan looks out the window, and it’s hailing now, lightning striking every so often.

“Seems like it will be going on for a while. Do you need to go somewhere tomorrow morning?” Hakyeon shakes his head. “Then maybe it’s best if you stay here for the night. The wind is also picking up, it would be too dangerous. I’ll put on some hot water.”

Hakyeon takes off his jacket, putting it on the chair at the desk, wandering around the apartment. The more he comes there, the more he enjoys it. It’s lively, there is an aspect of personality in every part of it. The things Jaehwan has collected through the years, and chosen not to sell.

The water is set on the kettle. He stands, looking at the small shelf there is, showing off the different things he has found. Jaehwan comes up behind him, placing his chin on his shoulder and looking as well.

“Where did you find the owl?” Hakyeon asks.

“When I was 14-ish, found it in the ashes near the factories when walking home one time. I was surprised it hadn’t burned, it was fully intact.”

They stand in silence as Hakyeon looks at the other things. He has looked at them many times before. Some of them could probably be sold as very expensive items, maybe even properly sold in the Midway Zone, not for the lazy and old money in the market of the Red Zone. Jaehwan suddenly moves away, slowly starting to open up the different metal pieces he is wearing and removing them. Hakyeon turns around to help him with the shoulder piece, knowing that it is difficult to remove alone.

Jaehwan goes to sit on the bed to remove the pieces around his thighs and legs. Hakyeon walks over to help remove it before slides onto his lap, straddling him and moving his arms around his neck. It’s warm, the close body contact but his skin is still unbearably cold. He leans down and starts kissing Jaehwan’s neck, starting from just below his ear and slowly dragging his lips further and further down. He bites the skin just a little to see and hear his reaction, Jaehwan letting out a small moan as his grip around him tightens, pulling him closer.

He takes the chance and grinds his hips just once, causing Jaehwan to freeze, his hands tensing up. He has to make sure he isn’t crossing any lines that Jaehwan doesn’t want to cross. He does feel a hardness growing there, pressing against him, but he can’t be sure. He leaves small pecks of kisses on a trail up his neck to his ear, grabbing a small tuck of hairs.

“Tell me if I need to stop,” Hakyeon whispers into his ear.

“Please … keep going,” Jaehwan says with a hoarse voice. 

Hakyeon captures his lips, moving in a fast hungry tempo as his hips start grinding against Jaehwan. Jaehwan moans into the kiss, his hands supporting Hakyeon’s hips, helping and fastening the movement. He can feel himself pressing against his groin, how hard it is. He moves a little bit away from his lap, his lips never leaving Jaehwan’s, only when he completely descends to the floor and is sitting on his knees, hands resting on Jaehwan’s thighs.

He reaches up to unbutton his pants, looking up at Jaehwan as he nods, allowing him to, proceeding to pull them down. As soon as the erection is freed, Hakyeon has already wrapped his mouth around the head, pressing his tongue against the tip, his hand at the base. Jaehwan moans loudly, lifting his shirt up a little to expose his abdomen. He leans back to rest on his elbows, breathing heavily as Hakyeon works his mouth around him.

Hakyeon can feel himself twist in his pants, wishing for some form of relief or friction himself. Jaehwan moans his name, his chest rising rapidly, satisfying Hakyeon. Seeming him so desperate, so turned on for him makes him more excited and finally, he has some control. He can do what he wants, stimulate Jaehwan the way he wishes to. He moves his head up and down, going deeper with each stroke, one of his hands going down to palm himself.

A loud ringing from the kitchen piers through his ears, giving him a headache. Jaehwan looks up, and Hakyeon takes him out of his mouth to look as well. The water in the kettle is boiling. He completely forgot about that. He groans as he stands up, leaving Jaehwan hard on the bed to watch as he removes the kettle, placing it on the counter.

“Probably won’t be needing that now,” he says, turning back to Jaehwan who is blushing slightly.

“I’m sorry,” he says, smiling slightly, Hakyeon going back to him, placing his hand on his chest to push him down onto the bed again.

Hakyeon goes down onto his knees again, running his tongue up Jaehwan’s exposed stomach, around his base and pulling his pants completely off, resting his hands on his thighs. He kisses his skin and the base, slowly moving up, leaving sloppy kisses. They make eye contact as he wraps his lips around him again, the way Jaehwan’s eyes roll into the back of his head, his mouth opening in pure gratification and how his thighs tense. Hakyeon can feel and see everything, making himself twist again.

Soon he can’t take the wait anymore. He takes him out of his mouth, slowly and torturous for Jaehwan as he groans, removing his mouth with a loud popping sound. Hakyeon stands up, starting to remove his own clothing, starting with the pants. Jaehwan helps him with the belt, removing his own shirt in the process. Jaehwan kisses his stomach, as he grabs onto the hem of his boxers and pulls those down as well, slowly moving further down. Hakyeon moan, feeling his skin trickle, becoming hot.

Jaehwan is much more build up than he is, and when Jaehwan grabs his wrist to pull him onto the bed as he is still removing his shirt, a sudden wave of embarrassment tumbles down on him. It might be dark in the room, but it is just enough light for Jaehwan to see his body.

How he wishes it was completely dark, just enough to hide. But as he sees Jaehwan’s body, his hands start to shake a little. It might be toned, but there are scars, scratches, burn marks everywhere on his arms, shoulders, chest, everywhere. He reaches up to touch one of the burn marks on one of his pecks, it’s healed but the scar is visible. Then the small scars and marks on his own body seem trivial. His own fears of being judged seem dense. Jaehwan reaches up to the mark, touching it as well and looking at it.

“One of many,” he says, smiling sadly.

Hakyeon leans up, pushing himself up as he kisses the burn mark. He captures Jaehwan’s lips, knowing he won’t be able to say the right words but he will be able to show it. Show that he doesn’t care about the scars or what marks he has.

Jaehwan starts kissing around his neck, collarbone, and shoulder as his hand slowly wrap around his length, while the other one is pressing their bodies together. Hakyeon groans, half of pleasure and half of pain. Jaehwan’s hand is dry and Hakyeon hasn’t leaked any precum for him to use as a lubricant. When he tries to jerk him off, it’s more pain he experiences than pleasure, stopping him.

“Jaehwan, wait. Do you have any lube?”

He knows he has a bottle in his private bathroom, and if he knew they were going to end up like this, he would have brought it. Jaehwan looks over towards his kitchen, before nodding and leaving the bed. He is breathing heavily and just now the thought is settling in. Never in his entire life has he had sex in these conditions, in an old apartment but he isn’t uncomfortable. He would even dare to say he is more comfortable and feels safer than the times he has had sex at the Talbot hotel. Jaehwan comes back, sitting down.

“It’s not exactly what you asked for,” he says, holding what seems to be a bottle of natural vegetable oil. Hakyeon laughs, taking it.

“This should do. Definitely be something new, but we will try.”

Their lips reconnect with each other, moving hungrily and eagerly, Hakyeon trying to dominate and lead it. 

The bottle opens and he feels a wet and comforting sticky liquid wrap around him, Jaehwan’s fingers and hand moving up and down, giving him the release and friction he wanted. Jaehwan’s hand goes further down, making Hakyeon break the kiss to moan in relief and slight pain as he pushes one finger in.

It’s been so long since anyone has fingered him since he has received this feeling of utter pleasure. He hasn’t been stretched in a long time, and the movement of Jaehwan’s finger exiting and entering slowly makes him want to scream to the gods. He leans his head back, exposing his neck where Jaehwan leaves small pecks and bite marks, nipping around his collar bone. He lays him down on the bed slowly, continuing to pump his long slender finger. He adds another finger, Hakyeon groaning and spreading his legs further to allow access.

His hips start moving in the rhythm to his fingers, speeding up and becoming more furious. Hakyeon’s lips part in a silent moan, his eyes closed, fingers latching onto the bed sheet just to receive some form of support. The oil makes the skin slippery and glistening, Jaehwan’s fingers slipping in and out with ease as the sounds continue to arouse Hakyeon, making himself twist. 

The fingers left his entrance. He feels empty now like there is a piece missing. He can feel some of the oil around his hole and inside. It’s silent except for his own moans that fill the empty space of the apartment, yet he can still feel Jaehwan’s presence. His body hovering over his own, positioning himself between his legs, the tip right at the entrance. Hakyeon could move his hips down just slightly and it would enter but he feels like he can’t move properly, his legs shaking. 

He lifts his leg to wrap around Jaehwan’s waist, lifting his lower area up, allowing Jaehwan to go deeper. A hand moves up his chest, brushing past his nipple and up to his face.

He finally dares to open his eyes, looking directly up at Jaehwan. His skin is glistening, his hair sticking to his forehead, the arousal pulsing off him but his eyes are so pure, so soft. Even with the pouring rain and thundering outside, it feels as if everything goes quiet around them. Hakyeon feels himself blush slightly, heat rising to his face. 

Jaehwan leans down to kiss him, their lips just touching each other as he slowly pushes himself inside of him. Hakyeon’s arm instinctively wraps around him, grabbing onto his arms and shoulders for support, as Jaehwan starts moving his hips, thrusting inside of him, making small grunts into Hakyeon’s neck as he does.

In any other scenario, with any other man, Hakyeon would have taken control. Maybe spun them around so he would be on top, controlling it, for his own pleasure, to satisfy himself. But here, he lets more lose, he is not as strict. As Jaehwan picks up pace, his thrusts become stronger, both of their voices become louder. If it weren’t for the rain and the thunder, the neighbors living in the building would have heard at least one of them. 

Hakyeon encouraged Jaehwan to go faster, their skin slapping against each other. How he wishes he could go on, stay like this and just continue for hours. The feeling of Jaehwan penetrating him, their skin against each other, the sloppy kisses, and the powerful thrusts that sent him closer and closer to the edge. It is euphoria. Jaehwan’s pace starts becoming more uneven, his moans and breaths becoming shorter but faster. 

Hakyeon reaches up to grab a fistful of his hair, forcing him down so they are closer.

“No cumming yet,” he says, playfully smiling at him.

He wants to keep going. Have him so on edge that he will beg to cum, and Hakyeon will enjoy all of it. Jaehwan pauses for a few seconds, gathering himself and trying to keep himself from releasing.

“Sit up,” Hakyeon says, pushing him from his shoulders. Jaehwan sits up, pulling out, and Hakyeon can immediately feel the change and a slight drip.

He gets up as well, sitting so he is straddling Jaehwan again. He guides Jaehwan’s length to his entrance and slowly slides it in, finding a comfortable way for both of them to sit. Jaehwan supporting himself with one hand leaning back and the other one placed at Hakyeon’s lower back. Hakyeon starts moving, grinding his hips, making sure Jaehwan is also receiving the pleasure just as much as he is.

Hakyeon wraps both of his hands on the back of Jaehwan’s neck, sloppily kissing him. Jaehwan turns into a moany mess, nearly whining. He is still on the edge of cumming, but he doesn’t wanna beg. Hakyeon picks up the pace, forcing him deeper in. He can feel himself nearing his breaking point. At one point, he feels Jaehwan drag his nails over his skin, groaning in frustration.

“Please, Hakyeon, please,” he moans out in desperation, his entire body tense just waiting for the approval.

Hakyeon doesn’t stop moving, instead, he leans his head down to bite on his earlobe, whispering the approval in his ear and immediately, he cums, making Hakyeon freeze mid-motion, releasing a choked up moan. Jaehwan does a few jerks of his hips, emptying himself completely into him, his legs and arms shaking before reaching between them to give the last few jerks that Hakyeon needs before he finishes, sticking in between both of them. He starts shaking, holding tightly onto him as he keeps being pumped till every last bit is out. His moans are short of breath and how tight he suddenly feels from tensing his muscles.

Their bodies are close together, holding around each other, Jaehwan leaving kisses around on his shoulder while Hakyeon closes his eyes and rests for a few seconds, breathing in Jaehwan’s scent. Their chests rising and falling together, heartbeats against one another. With Hakyeon’s legs wrapped around his waist, Jaehwan lifts him up, still inside of him, laying him softly down on the bed. 

He manages to pull out and Hakyeon makes one last sound of pleasure, leaning his head back against the pillows. Jaehwan lays down next to him, wrapping his arm around him, his fingers slowly brushing over his skin. Neither of them is saying anything, neither of them has to. 

They just listen to the rain outside, the calm rain and wind that seems to have quieted down. Hakyeon must have fallen asleep because the last thing he remembers is looking at Jaehwan but he opens his eyes staring up at the ceiling, the cover laid over him to keep him warm. 

Jaehwan is no longer with him in the bed and judging from the darkness outside, it must still be late at night. The mess that had been left by himself is gone, cleaned up but he can still feel it inside of him. A rustling makes Hakyeon look up from where he is laying, watching Jaehwan struggling to put on the shoulder piece. 

“Need help?” he asks, sitting up.

Jaehwan smiles, walking over to him and sitting down. “Good morning. How did you sleep?”

“Wonderful. What time is it?”

He tightens the leather, making sure it won’t move throughout the day.

“It’s around 5:20 AM or so.”

“Don’t tell me you meet that early every morning?”

“I am actually late. I was supposed to leave at 5, but hopefully, I can sneak in without anyone noticing. There is hot water ready for you in the shower if you need it, and I will see you tonight.” 

He leans in to kiss him goodbye, but Hakyeon grabs onto the back of his neck, forcing him to deepen the kiss, not wanting to let go.

“Hakyeon, I have to leave,” he says in between kisses.

“Just stay here with me for the day, cuddle with me,” Hakyeon whines, trying to pull Jaehwan down onto the bed again. He manages to get out of the tight grip, laughing as he does. Hakyeon pouts as he leaves, but knowing that he will see him again tonight pleases him.

As the door closes for the apartment, Hakyeon lets himself drop heavy down onto the bed again, wrapping the blanket tightly around himself and falling back asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first time I ever publish smut so I am very very nervous. I am not sure if it's good or boring or whatever but I tried and I hope you enjoyed it. I appreciate every kudos and comment, they keep me motivated to continue. 
> 
> I am on twitter @zeze_moonlight, you're more than welcome to come talk to me there if you wish. I hope you enjoyed and till next chapter.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It seems to never be a quiet day for Hakyeon

Hayoon opens the door for him and Hakyeon enters into the apartment. It’s his new apartment that is being renovated. The moment he steps in, he can already see the progress the builders have made. There has been a new wooden floor placed down, the windows in the living room have been changed too much larger windows, bringing in a lot more light. He doesn’t have off his shoes in the foyer. There is plastic wrap all over the floor, covering for the paint has is starting to be put on the walls. He looks around. Last time he was here, there was a lot of noise, construction work and it felt busy. 

Now it’s quieter, it’s calmer. There are fewer workers in here, mainly only the painters who have started painting the different main living space. 

“What do you think so far?” Hayoon asks, coming up to him. She has helped him a lot, keeping watch over the apartment and helping him organize everything. When she and her husband moved into their own apartment, it also went under a lot of renovation. This is nothing new to her.

“It looks a lot cleaner.”

“Yeah, as soon as all the walls have been painted, the kitchen will be set in, as well as the bathrooms, lamps and all of those other essentials. Are you going to take your furniture with you from the estate?”

“Most likely yeah.”

She crosses off something from a list. Then they don’t have to go out and look for furniture. That also saves him quite a lot of money. If he then also suddenly had to go look for new furniture, his bank account would be suffering. He already has most of what he needs anyway. He feels a tug in his jacket, opening it wider. Hayoon is looking at his shirt with a disproven glance.

“Did you shower this morning?” she asks.

“Uhm, yeah I did.”

He took Jaehwan’s offer and showered in the shower he had. Or he couldn’t exactly call it a shower, but a leaking pipe that sticks out the wall. It’s a pipe that has been cut off at the end, giving it a lot of ridges. It took him five minutes to figure out how to turn on the water. He had to turn a bolt that was on the pipe, letting the water pour out from the sewers. It seemed clean enough so he took his chance. But he didn’t have time to go home and change into new clothing.

“Your clothing look messy. Where were you even? I went to the estate to pick you up, thinking we could go get brunch before arriving but they said you had never returned home. I was wondering if I should have called the police.”

“That’s very dramatic, but I was walking someone home and as we arrived it was raining heavily, so I just stayed there the night.”

He has become good at only telling half of the truth. He doesn’t have to include that the person was Jaehwan, or even who Jaehwan is. 

“Who?”

“A friend from the Midway Zone,” he says, saying the first lie. He has never been the child who lied, he rarely ever did, but that doesn't mean he isn’t a good liar.

“Hm, no name then. Alright. I won’t bother you if you want to keep your lovers secret.”

“Ya, stop that!” He whines. Hayoon just laughs at his annoyance. Whenever his sisters and he are together, it’s like they forget their ages and act like children again. Teasing each other and playing jokes that are similar to things they did as children.

“I am just teasing you, don’t get angry so fast. Also, can you do me a favor?”

“Sure, what is it?”

“Pick up the kids from their day-care and school, while I run some errands. My lovely husband informed me before you came, saying he has to take a four-day trip to Quezon City, leaving today and it was his turn to pick them up. Can you do it for me and just watch them until I get back? Bring them home to the estate or something.”

“Sure, I’ll do that. When do they have to be picked up?”

She starts writing down the children and when they have to be picked up and where from. Luckily it’s only Kyu who is in school at a separate location and he has to be picked up last. Going over a few of the construction work with the architect, explaining how he wants an accent wall in his own bedroom, before leaving again. He hopes that he can run home, change clothing and then leave in good time to pick up the children and bring them back to the estate.

He reaches the estate relatively fast, opening the door and expecting to find the house empty except for the servants.

“Hello,” Sunhee says over from the arch opening to the tea room. Hakyeon freezes, turning more towards her. She smiles, waiting for him to answer, but Hakyeon finds it difficult to find words at the moment.

“...Hi, how did you get in? Is my Mother home?”

“No, I asked the servants to let me in. I wanted to speak to you, are you busy?”

Hakyeon casts a look towards the stairs leading down to the servants quarters. Never in all the years, he has lived here have they ever done something like this. He takes out his pocket watch, still disgruntled about their actions. He has a little bit before he has to go pick up the children and it’s not too long of a walk.

“No, I can talk. Let me just go upstairs and change, please wait inside the tea room.”

He runs up the stairs, inside of his room where one of the servants are cleaning the bathroom. Picking out a new shirt to wear, a dark red one with black pants, he calls for the servant inside of the bathroom.

“Who let Miss Pai in?” he asks her, buttoning up the shirt. 

“I am not certain, I can go downstairs and ask.”

“Please do, send them up here please, also take my dirty clothes and wash it.”

“Yes, sir.”

The servant takes the clothing and hurries downstairs, through one of the small staircases inside of the walls for the servants. It’s for them to get upstairs faster than going the longer route. He starts fixing his hair in the mirror. Jaehwan didn’t have a brush or extra towels he could dry his hair with, he had to walk through most of the different zones with wet hair. It knocks on the door and two servants enter. One of them is the head servant.

“Did you let Miss Pai in?” he asks before they get a chance to say anything.

“Yes, sir.”

“Next time, don’t let anyone in who does not have an appointment with us and don’t let anyone in if no one is home. Miss Pai might be a friend of ours, but we still don’t want anyone in our house when it’s empty. Understand?”

“Yes, sir, but Miss Pai insisted that she had planned this meeting with you, showing us her personal calendar.”

Hakyeon crocks his eyebrow, folding his arms over his chest. He barely speaks with Sunhee, when would they have planned a meeting together? He doesn’t even know what they are going to speak about. The servants are both visible confused and their heads hanging low due to embarrassment. He hymns.

“Well, I have not heard of this meeting until now. I will handle that. Please, be ready downstairs to serve us if we need anything.”

Both of them bow before leaving again, Hakyeon leaving as well to go downstairs. He walks inside the tea room where Sunhee is walking along the bookshelf looking at the different ones.

“Please, sit down,” he says, sitting down on the chair, her sitting down on one across from him. “What did you want to speak about?”

“It’s about the charity event. My parents have asked me to hold a speech since I am the oldest of my family, and I am really not that practiced in writing or holding speeches, so they suggested one of the Cha family’s children also held a speech alongside with me. I was wondering if you maybe wanted to. I know you are very good at it.”

“I am very honored, but I would rather have you pick Haewon, she wrote to us yesterday morning that she will be coming as well and she is a far better spokesperson than I could ever be.”

Haewon is his sister who lives in Japan. After his parents spoke about the project with her on the phone, she immediately booked tickets on the ship to Korea, making sure they will arrive on time. It will take them nearly a week to arrive and then having to drive all the way to Seoul, but at least they can relax on the ship. 

“I haven’t spoken with Haewon in a very long time, I am not sure if she would want to,” Sunhee says, shifting in her seat.

“I’m sure she will. I could call her right now and ask if you want me to-”

“Oh no, it’s fine. But, please think about the offer.”

“I will… How are you, Sunhee? After the wedding was canceled?”

It has been over a month since the news broke out, he feels as if it’s okay to ask about it now. If she still is sad over it, she certainly does not show it. Her shoulders tense up a little, and she starts avoiding eye contact, looking around.

“It’s going. The rumors and the gossip as to why it was canceled are still being speculated about by the ladies at the club, I only first recently went back there and the way people look at me, it’s like I have done something wrong when in reality, I just didn’t love him anymore.”

“Was it you who canceled it?”

He is not asking because he wants to gossip about it, but he is curious. He remembers the way the people at the club looked at his family after his hyung had died, the pity in their eyes and the nasty rumors about how his parents had forced him into the army to get rid of him. 

“It was a mutual agreement. It was not going to work out between him and me, but I had not expected it to be so blown out of proportion. I am sure you have heard the rumors, their theories, and ideas of what happened.”

“Yeah… they like making it very dramatic.”

“They do. But thank you for asking, my parents don’t really enjoy speaking of it so I don’t have too many to speak with about it.”

“Don’t thank me, I just asked a question. I will consider your offer of the speech and give you notice soon. I have to leave soon to pick up Hayoon’s children.” He walks her out to the door, placing his hand on the door handle, turning to her again. “Also, I enjoy speaking with you, but I would appreciate it if you did not lie to my staff about fake arranged meetings. Next time, please write to me, asking for us to speak.”

“Yes, I greatly apologize. I will learn from my mistake. Goodbye, Hakyeon.”

“Goodbye noona,” he says, exchanging a small hug with each other before parting their ways. He closes the door, going back into the tea room to drop down onto the chair. He has to leave soon to pick up the children.

He also started a small project that he needs to finish. The materials arrived yesterday, so hopefully, he can finish it tonight, maybe Kyu even wants to help. He seemed so excited the first time Hakyeon brought him downstairs in the workroom and has constantly been asking about it. He would probably enjoy that. One of the servants come in with a tray, taking the cups onto it.

“Please, ask the kitchen to prepare dinner for tonight. My sister and her children are most likely eating over.”

“Will do, sir,” he says, bowing and leaving again. 

He can imagine Hayoon not wanting to go back home to their apartment and have to prepare food. With a heavy grunt, he stands up, grabbing his jacket and leaving for the kindergarten that Sobin and Bohun are in.

After picking up all three of them, he walks carrying Sobin in his arms, her hands holding tightly onto the collar of his jacket and holding Bohun’s hand as they walk while Kyu is walking a little bit ahead.

“Where was it Father had gone?” Kyu asks.

“Quezon City, it’s in the Philippines.”

“Have we ever gone there?” 

“No, but maybe you could ask your parents for a holiday there. It’s a lovely place.”

“Can we get something to eat at the market?” Bohun asks, pulling on his hand and pointing over at the food market. It’s inside of a warehouse with lots of people inside of and a lot of people from the middle-class shop for fresh vegetables there. His mother sometimes sent the servants there to get fresh fruits and meat.

“Are you all three hungry?” he asks them. Kyu nods happily while Sobin raises her head and nods as well. “Let’s go in and get some food then. But no telling your mother.”

“There is a lot of things we can never tell mom when we are with you,” Kyu says, walking across the street.

Inside is crowded. He keeps Bohun close to him and a tight grip on Sobin. Kyu is tall enough to wander around and be able to find his way back to them, but the two others are a little more adventures and likes to wander without properly thinking about it. Kyu stops at a shop that sells scallion pancakes, bindae-tteok, mandu and a lot of other easy to eat food.

“Can I get a pancake?”

“I think you are missing something,” Hakyeon replies, looking at the prices of the food.

“Please,” Kyu says, dragging it out.

“Bohun, what do you want?”

He ends up pointing at a bindae-tteok, the person standing at the table, already gathering the different things they are asking for. Sobin points towards a dalgona which was the imprint of a bunny.

“How much will that be?” he asks, taking a mandu for himself. He has barely eaten today.

“16000 won.”

His wallet is in the inner pocket, the side where he is holding Sobin. He groans as he places her down, next to Kyu who takes her hand and pulls her closer, making sure she doesn’t wander off. He takes the wallet and pays for the food, giving it to Kyu and picking up Sobin again.

“Okay, let’s leave. You can eat it at home… Where is Bohun?”

Kyu starts looking around him, before shrugging his shoulder as if it’s no big deal. Instant panic and adrenaline go through his entire body as he walks hastily through the crowd of people, searching for Bohun. He can’t have gone far unless someone took him. No, he doesn’t even want to go in that direction, he would have yelled if someone tried to take him. Why did he just wander off? Why didn’t Kyu keep an eye on him? He swears internally, going up on the small platform rails where there are stands selling fish. It’s too crowded for him to see anything.

Bohun would be completely lost in the crowd. Hayoon is going to kill him if he doesn’t find him. If anything happens to him.

“Kyu, you go that way and search for him, if you find him, yell for me,” he says very seriously. Kyu nods, finally realizing the seriousness of the situation. Hakyeon takes the other side of the warehouse, looking carefully at each stand and in the large crowds of people

Bohun might be young, but he should be smart enough to know not to walk with strangers or interact with them. It seems like the crowds of people are just getting bigger. He holds tighter onto Sobin as he makes his way through a thick horde of people, all seemingly from the Midway Zone. He even sees a few servants from different rich families. That just makes his anxiety skyrocket. He can’t let them see him, recognize him or even spot Bohun, else all families before the day is over will know that Hakyeon lost him.

The warehouse is large and is very noisy. Even if Kyu or Bohun were calling for him, he doubts he would be able to hear it. There are too many people here. Sobin pulls in his collar and points towards the large entrance. There they both stands. Kyu and Bohun. 

He doesn’t even think properly at this point, he speeds walks outside, accidentally pushing a few people without apologizing. As soon as he gets outside, the air clears up and he feels like he can breathe again, having so much more space around him and not surrounded by yelling and people walking. He grabs Bohun into an embrace, looking him up and down and making sure he doesn’t have any scratches or any dirt on him.

“Where did you go? You can’t just wander off like that? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

Bohun shakes his head, pouting.

“Don’t leave my side, what if someone had taken you, or we would have left without you. Ai, don’t do that again.”

Bohun looks down at the ground, mumbling a small apology. Hakyeon moves his hand down his hair, pulling him in for another hug.

“It’s fine, just don’t do it again. Come, let’s go home before it becomes too late. You also have your food to eat.”

He holds Bohun’s hand the entire way home, too nervous or scared to let home. As they arrive home, he lets them eat their food and play for themselves while he goes downstairs in the workroom to finish his work. Downstairs, he is working on a glass frame, the wooden frame part of it is very thin and delicate and can be opened up on the side with a sting on the back to hang it up. He takes the two pieces of glass, making sure they are completely secured between the wooden frame, so there is no chance of them falling out or letting lose through time.

As he cleans the glass with a paper towel, Kyu comes inside and wanders up to the desk to watch.

“Can I help?” he asks, his chin just reaching the tip of the table.

“Sure, you can go upstairs into my room. On my desk, there is a very large book, can you bring it down here?”

“Can I take the servants stairs?”

“Alright, but be fast.”

He comes back after a few minutes, carrying the large and heavy book. Hakyeon takes it and put it down onto the table, opening it up and finding the right page. And there it is, in the middle of the book. The rose that Jaehwan was carrying the first time they met, on the bridge. Jaehwan had found it near the factory, surprised that it was even able to grow such a place. He had left it at Hakyeon’s house but never asked for it again. Either he forgot it or simply didn’t want to ask, but Hakyeon has kept it pressed for over a month now. 

It should be ready now.

He carefully rips out the paper with the rose on it, making sure to get a clean rip, cutting the paper to size and slowly placing it down in the frame. The rose has been pressed beautifully and to perfection. He closes the frame back again, being careful not to touch the glass as he seals it.

“What do you think?” he asks Kyu who has been watching silently.

“It’s pretty. Who is it for?”

“A person who is very dear to me. Hopefully, you can meet him one day.” Hopefully, when everything is in better order.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much for reading. It took a little longer to write this chapter than others and I am still not sure. I felt it was a little boring, but hopefully not too boring (I feel this way about a lot of my chapters), and I had to re-evaluate a few things in my story outline that I had planned.
> 
> But hopefully, the next one should come out soon. I appreciate comments and the kudos, and I am active on twitter @zeze_moonlight


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Standing on a bridge in the rain, waiting, cold and alone truly makes the mind wander.

The sound of the heavy front door of the estate opening can be heard all the way into the smoking room, where both Hakyeon and Kyu are sitting, deeply concentrated in their game of chess. After dinner, prepared by the chef, carried he Sobin and Bohun upstairs to sleep in his room. It’s quieter there. Hayoon calls out through the estate, but neither of them replies. Too deeply ingrossed into their game, trying to read each other’s mind as Hakyeon finally completes his move. They near the end. Footsteps enter the room and behind him, he hears a sigh.

“I shouldn’t have expected anything else. Who’s winning?” Hayoon asks, moving over to sit on the ottoman.

“It’s hard to say, but Kyu has definitely practiced since we last played.”

“He and his father have been playing a lot lately.”

“Doesn’t explain why this game is so difficult, as I can easily win over your husband,” he says, looking at her with a smirk.

Kyu completes his move, anxiously shaking as he places the small finely detailed metal figure. He did a mistake, opened himself up. Hakyeon smiles a little as he leans in and moves his chess piece over to knock down the king.

“Checkmates.”

“Dammit,”

“Language, young man!” Hayoon says, looking up from the book she is holding. 

Upon closer inspection, it’s not a book, but the small glass frame that Hakyeon created for Jaehwan. His hands, instinctively curl into fists, resting on his thighs as her eyes go back to the frame again, looking at the flower.

“Did you make this?” She asks, looking up at him. He nods, his mouth feeling dry. “It’s very pretty. Whom is it for?”

“No one in particular,” he says, shrugging as if it is no big deal. Kyu looks at him with a dazzled look. 

“Hm … very pretty. Where are Sobin and Bohun?”

“In my room, sleeping - hopefully.”

She stands up from the ottoman and leaves the smoking room to walk up the stairs after the two children. Kyu keeps his eyes on Hakyeon, a curious look in his eyes. Hakyeon just lifts his finger to his lips. Kyu has never had a problem with keeping secrets, the two of them keep many secrets. He has always had problems in lying to the children and he has a tendency to let words slip around them. They often know about news long before the rest of the family does. For Kyu to know about Jaehwan in some sort of way is of no surprise.

He stands up, the chair squeaking against the floor as it is pushed, leaving the smoking room for the main entrance. Bohun comes running down the stairs while Hayoon is carrying Sobin, still sleeping heavily in her arms.

“Do you want something to eat? There are still leftovers,” he says, taking the children’s jackets and helping Bohun put on his. She shakes her head, laying Sobin down careful on the couch, giving Kyu his own jacket.

“No, I still have some from yesterday that I will just eat. Thank you very much for the help, I appreciate it.”

“Should it be another time, I always enjoy watching over the kids.”

“And I think they enjoy spending more time with you than with their other uncles. They get quite jealous actually.”

He feels a slight form of satisfaction, knowing that he is the children’s favorite relative. He also sees them a lot more and spends more time with them than the others have, so it should not come as a surprise. She puts on the coat for Sobin, saying goodbye to each other at the front door. Outside is the car she arrived in, waiting for them, to drive them home. He stands in the entrance, waving as they drive away.

As he stands and watches them drive out through the gates, the clouds start rolling in over the horizon. Dark gloomy and heavy clouds. It seems like it will most definitely rain while he and Jaehwan are going to be walking. This time, he will bring an umbrella. 

He goes back inside from the cold weather, closing the door and packing down everything he needs to bring. Since Hayoon did not eat any of the leftovers, he makes a servant wrap it in and he packs it down as well together with the frame. After Jaehwan had left this morning, Hakyeon had looked through his kitchen for food. There is barely anything and most of what was there was spoiled. 

Jaehwan is living in such a hole of a home yet does not complain. Maybe because he knows he has no other options. It’s either that or being homeless. Hakyeon closes the bag, making sure it is sealed, grabbing his jacket. Maybe when his apartment is finished, Jaehwan can come there. It is still very early in their relationship, but he can’t take the thought of Jaehwan living in such conditions. It should not be allowed.

He wishes he could bring him home to the estate, present him for his family and no longer having to lie, but he doubts any of them would be accepting at first sight. Maybe if he lied and said he was from the middle class. It would not come as a surprise if he started a relationship with someone from the Midway Zone since the larger majority of his friends are from there. But he does not want to lie to them. He will just have to keep it a secret for now.

Taking the umbrella as he leaves, he starts his walk towards the Red Zone, holding the bag close to him and the umbrella above his head. He took the larger one, in case it is still raining while they are walking together. He takes the same route as always, the route he knows will bring him there the fastest. It’s always empty at this time of the evening, the only sign indicating life is from the windows that light up in the houses.

The rain is falling heavily, the splashing sound on the umbrella and the ground around him are impactful and sounds nearly violent. Maybe he should walk all the way to the factory so Jaehwan doesn’t have to leave walk in the rain. He enters the zone through the gates, all of the white-uniformed guards standing inside of warm safety of their office, not even noticing him entering. No sideglance or anything. They must have become used to him. As he walks towards the bridge, the rain calms down, but he can see it is only temporary. 

He steps onto the bridge and goes over to their usual meeting spot. The same familiar pillar. Checking his watch, the factory should close soon, in just five minutes or so. The rain is slowly picking up again. If it rains too much again, he might have to stay tonight as well. The thought makes him smile. Spending the night with Jaehwan was calming, it was so peaceful. Despite the harsh conditions of the apartment, he slept so comfortably. He had also been exhausted after their activity, and he definitely would not mind having another one again tonight. 

After yesterday evening, his desire for Jaehwan has only increased. He has just made him fall even more in love with him. He’s finally admitting that to himself, despite being early in their relationship. He is in love with Jaehwan and he wishes he could spend more time with him. This morning, waking up in his bed, in his apartment and seeing him get ready for work. It felt surreal, it felt like he was dreaming. A dream he did not want to wake up from. He’s glad no one can see him, smiling like a fool, internally gushing over Jaehwan.

But he has to remember to not rush it, to not scare Jaehwan or step over lines that he is not comfortable with yet. He has to try and take it slow. Yesterday, in the end, he went a little too much into his old habits of taking control. He was too much in the moment and was enjoying the thought of completely dominating Jaehwan too much. 

The factory should have closed by now, and he stands close by the pillar waiting. A few other workers pass him without giving him as much as a glance or a hint of acknowledgment. Jaehwan should be coming soon as well. The rain continues to pour down heavily, and even a few lightning strikes in the background of it all. Maybe he should go to the factory to pick him up. Remembering the last time he went there, Jaehwan did not seem too pleased about it, so he better stay away.

He starts checking his watch every few minutes, not leaving his spot under the umbrella and by the pillar. 

Another five minutes pass by, then twenty, then forty and before he knows it he has waited in over an hour, watching the exposed inner workings of the watch move. He put the bag on the ground, not really caring anymore about it getting dirty anymore. The food has done cold anyway. What if something happened at the factory? Jaehwan has no way of contacting him, of canceling their walks, meaning something could have happened that would have hindered him from coming. Or maybe he just chose not to, walked a different route home to avoid him.

Hakyeon shakes his head in disbelief. Why would he avoid him? There has been no indicator of such a thing happening. Something must have happened, he would never purposefully just leave him. 

How can he be entirely sure? They have not been together for very long, Jaehwan always seemingly has been holding himself back, not been as active as Hakyeon. Does he already regret it? Hakyeon feels his grip tighten around the umbrella handle. 

What is he doing? 

He’s standing in the rain, in the late evening, and in the Unsafe Zone, waiting for a factory worker. Him, a man of such high class, waiting for someone of such low status. A man he knows he cares too much for. Maybe he is using him for money? That wouldn’t be the first time he has experienced that. Maybe he just wanted to see how it was to be with someone from a high class and then leave him afterward? Or maybe he just isn’t good enough. Why is he even trying? 

With a small sniff, Hakyeon starts walking back down from the bridge, towards the gates. How he wishes someone would call for him, the familiar pretty voice calling his name, explaining everything, but nothing comes. Only the continuing sound of thunder in the background as the rain continues on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is short but an important chapter as it is more of an insight into Hakyeon's worries and thoughts. I hope you enjoyed it to the best of your abilities ...
> 
> Oh well, once again, I love seeing the comments and receiving messages on Twitter, it inspires me so much and seemingly come when I am left with zero motivation, so all the compliments keep me going. Thank you very much, from the bottom of my heart.
> 
> I am on twitter @zeze_moonlight where updates about the story are.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There might be forgiveness and laughter now, but how long till the secret slips out and hell breaks lose?

Hakyeon knows he is overreacting, he knows he is being dramatic, but that does not stop him from doubting in the continuing meeting with Jaehwan. Their relationship would never work out anyway, there is too much in between them in terms of social class. How could someone from the lowest class fit into the lifestyle of someone from a wealthy family such as his? He would not understand it, the manners and how to survive. Just as Hakyeon would not know how to survive life in the lowest class. Just seeing the state Jaehwan live in and comparing it with his own. His own private room is the size of Jaehwan’s entire apartment. 

Maybe he should just stay away tonight if Jaehwan would even show up. He is holding the phone against his ear, deep inside of his own thoughts, not even realizing that someone has picked up on the other end.

“Hello?”

Hakyeon comes to his senses when the foreign language is spoken into his ear. Japanese. He had hoped his sister would have picked up instead. He is fluent in Japanese but in this state of mind, having to think of properly worded sentences will just give him a headache. Based on the tone of the servant’s voice, she must have picked up, greeted and Hakyeon probably did not answer her.

“Yes, this is Cha Hakyeon, please, let me speak to my sister,” he says, leaning his head against the wall. It properly was not worded correctly. The servant calls for Haewon and after a bit, she comes to the phone and answers it.

“And what brings me the pleasure of receiving a phone call from you, lovely little brother?”

“Thought I would honor you with hearing my voice, I’ve been told it’s very soothing. Maybe I should even sing a little.”

“I think you should save that for another time.”

“Ah, yes, you’re right. The telephone line always ruins the quality of the calls. Maybe some other day when I feel generous.”

She laughs, and Hakyeon smiles for the first time the entire day. “What can I do for you, Hakyeon?”

“I was wondering when you will be arriving in Busan by ship. I have a few errands to do there and thought I could do them when you arrive, so we take the train back to Seoul together.”

“Uh, sounds like a lovely plan. Yieum would probably also love that, he hasn’t seen you in so long. We will arrive about a week before the event and depending on the time, will take the train in the morning. How long of a train ride would it be?”

“Hm, around seven or eight hours.”

“That’s not too bad. Then you can take care of Yieum while I rest.”

“Is your husband not coming along?”

“No, he can’t find time in his schedule to do so, sadly but his Korean still isn’t that well anyway, so it’s properly fine. Tell me what hotel you will be staying at, then I will make sure to also book a room there.”

“Sounds good, I’ll make sure of that.”

“So, how are you? We haven’t spoken in a while. Anything new?”

Haewon is much older than him. Twelve years older, she has always been very protective of him, being the older sister that he went to when Hayoon was being unfair or when he was sad. He often confronted in her with his struggles, but ever since she got married and moved to Japan, their relationship has lessened. The close bond that once was between them has weakened due to distance and not enough communication.

He wishes he could feel comfortable enough to tell about Jaehwan, to explain everything and finally be able to receive advice from someone. And not go and hide his doubts and insecurities all to himself. How he wishes their world were more simple.

“Not really, the same old as always,” he says, trying not to choke on his own words.

“Mother told me you have started working in the workshop again.”

“I have.”

“I’m glad. If you hadn’t, Father would have abolished that room. And I’m sure you will put it to good use, just like he did.”

“Hopefully, I will.”

“Nothing else there’s on your mind?”

“No,” he says, knowing that he is doing nothing but making the insecurities worse for himself. Torturing himself even more than what is necessary. “I have to go, we are leaving soon.”

“Where are you going?”

“To the factories. First our own and then the Pai’s, to see the progress of the blimp.”

“Uhhh, how exciting. Say hello to the others from me.”

“I will. Bye,” he says, hanging up the phone, finding it difficult to let go. He should have told her, expressed his fear and worries to her. She would have been able to help him. Guide him. But it’s too late now.

He wishes he didn’t have to go to the Pai factory. Why is it necessary for him to be there? It shouldn’t be. He waits for the others inside of the tea room, feeling his shoulders become heavier and heavier by the minute he waits. A car horn honks outside the house. Hayoon has arrived. It’s only their Father and them going to the factories. Their Mother did not want to go, saying she had other important errands when in reality, she does not want to go to the Red Zone. She feels uncomfortable there, looking at all the workers and the horrible living qualities. 

His Father and he go outside, greeting Hayoon and sitting inside of the car as the driver starts driving to the factories in the Red Zone. The conversation is mainly between their Father and Hayoon. Hayoon explaining what her husband is doing and why he once again is not showing up to their family meetings. Speaking of how she hopes he will be there for the event and the ceremony itself, but as his schedule is right at this moment, that might prove to be difficult.

His Father - as Hakyeon expected - complains about it, starting a rant of how important family is, and how they have barely even met his side of the family. Thinking back at it, Hakyeon cannot even put a face on Hayoon’s husbands family. He met them once, at their wedding, but ever since he hasn’t. They do not live in Seoul, they live in the second capital, Pyongyang which is very far away. They lived there before the war; before the two nations were united into one. 

There is still a border between them, but the hatred, war and many years of the distribution have come to an end. Now there is just a cultural barrier between the two, but at least there is peace. 

They arrive at the factory and is shown the process of the blimp, the mechanical work that will soon be sent to Pai’s factory to be all set together. Soon the blimp will be in working order and the invitations for the ceremony will be sent out. The envelope of the blimp has been built and the work-manager of the factory shows them it in full working conditions. Inside the largest hall, they have, stretching many meters in length and width as the blimp slowly rises to its full size. The engine is a loud screeching annoyance but at a certain size, the sound becomes less. 

It’s magnificent. The sheer size of it, the largest that has ever existed. And he will be one of the first people to be on it as it travels the skies and flies over Seoul.

“It’s very impressive. You have worked fast,” his father compliments them.

“Will it also be able to fly when the gondola is attached?” Hayoon asks.

“Yes, we have taken into account the extra weight of the gondola and everyone that will be onboard. Along with the gondola, this will be able to carry over a thousand guests.”

“Perfect. Turn it off now please, and prepare it to be sent to Owlet Pai, no. 3. Maybe they can have the gondola and the entire blimp ready within a month or so. That would be a wonderful jump in our schedule,” his father says, smiling.

Jaehwan works in that factory. And now they are going there for Mr. Pai to show off the gondola and how far it is in the process of the finished product. He looks as they turn off the motor of the blimp and it slowly deflating again. There is a spark inside of him, a spark of excitement. Seeing the finally nearly finished product, it provides a large form of satisfaction. 

They leave the factory, speaking shortly to the managers about what is to come next, before leaving to the Pai’s factory. Mr. Pai greets them outside of the huge main doors, where Hakyeon waited the second evening him and Jaehwan walked together. Where all the workers exit when leaving the factory late in the evening, just to arrive horribly early the next morning. 

“I see you brought your children. I wish Sunhee was as interested in seeing the factories as yours are.”

Hakyeon draws his brows together in annoyance. Both he and Hayoon are well over the age of adulthood, neither of them really being young adults anymore. Can they really still be addressed as children?

“Why has she not chosen to come?” Hakyeon asks, slowly folding his hands into his pockets and trying to forget the degrading comment.

“She does not enjoy being here. Says she finds it … horrifying. But, maybe next time, shall we go?”

Hayoon mumbles something under her breath as they start walking inside. Hakyeon hymns at her, as a way to ask what she said, but she just shakes her head annoyed, her lips drawn into a thin line.

Stepping inside, there is an immediate difference between their own factory and this factory. It seems like Hakyeon just stepped into a dark cloud, a dark smoke form engulfing his entire body. The light seems less bright, the atmosphere is thicker and harder to breathe in and many of the windows have been blacked out. He has never noticed these kinds of differences before. Their factories were also more clean, more organized. But this must be the way the Pai family has decided to control their factory, maybe it’s just this one who happened to be placed in the most polluted area of The Red Zone.

“So, Makok, how is the progress going?”

“It’s going after the plan. I was informed this morning when I arrived, that while moving one of the decoration pieces, it was dropped and broke in half so it had to be remade.”

“That must have taken some time.” 

“It did but the worker was persistent and managed to finish it this morning.”

“They stayed here the whole night?” Hakyeon asks.

Mr. Pai nods, walking up the stairs of the catwalk hanging above the workers. Jaehwan said he stood for some of the decoration pieces. Walking along the catwalk, he starts looking down, searching for Jaehwan, hoping to catch a small glimpse of him. But he can’t see anything. No workers stand out to him, no workers grab his attention.

Walking down another set of stairs, they reach the gondola. It’s huge, the biggest he has ever seen. Hakyeon has been on many blimps, but the size and power of this blimp will be completely new. It even has three floors.

“This is incredibly impressive,” Hayoon says, walking up to the gondola and touching the outer surface of it. It’s a shiny metal, smooth and curved perfectly to fit the form of the blimp itself.

“We also worked hard on it. I wanna show the inside, come along.”

The insides are still being furnished. Workers slowly placing down the floor and the wall paints, along with the windows and decorations on the walls. All tables are being nailed to the floor to make sure they do not move throughout the trip. Where the main dinner would be held is a ballroom that ends in a curve. On the other side of the blimp is a small lounge room with seats alongside the entirety of curved windows, giving it a wonderful view of when it would be flying. While they are speaking in the ballroom, Hakyeon wonders away to find the lounge room. 

The beautiful velvet couches, monogamy tables, and the dark floor and walls give the room a very eerie and romantic feeling. He already knows that this will be the place where he will spend most of his time during the event. It’s so beautifully decorated. He stands to admire the different accent pieces on the wall.

“Hakyeon.”

The voice. The voice he so desperately wanted to hear say his name yesterday evening as he was leaving but never came. Now it’s here. Swirling around, Jaehwan stops just a meter away from him. The bags under his eyes are much larger than normal, his skin is even paler, hair is greasy and his hands are wrapped in bandages. But despite that, despite his horrible thoughts from yesterday, Hakyeon wants to do nothing more but feel Jaehwan wrap his arms around him. All the worries seemingly having completely disappeared from his mind. Jaehwan takes a step closer.

“Hakyeon, I’m sorry, please don’t be angry at me, I was forced to stay here and work overnight, I couldn’t do anything, please.”

Hakyeon slowly grabs onto his tense shoulders, trying to hold him still and get proper eye contact with him.

“Slow down, and sit down. What happened to your hands?” he asks, as they both sit down on the couch, Hakyeon moving his hands down to carefully inspect his bandaged hands.

“I got blisters and splinters. They hurt. A wooden decoration piece broke while being transported. I had to stay overnight and make a new one as the manager said the piece could not be glued. That’s also why I didn’t come out to our walk yesterday evening, I’m very sorry.”

Jaehwan hangs with his head low, seemingly very displeased with himself over this. His lips forming into a slight pout. How could he think that Jaehwan had avoided him on purpose? He moves his hands up, placing each on the sides of his face to lift it up, slowly moving his thumb over his cheek as he leans in to plant a soft kiss on his pouty lips. As he pulls away, Jaehwan stares at him with large puppy-like eyes.

“You’re not angry at me?” he asks, dumbfounded.

“I was never angry at you, Hwannie-ah. I was sad and worried about what had happened to you … did you at least find the bag I left at the pillar?”

Jaehwan nods excitedly.

“I did, thank you. The rose is very pretty,” he breathes heavily out, leaning in to bury his face in the crook of Hakyeon’s neck. “I’m just happy you’re not angry at me.”

Hakyeon smiles, wrapping his arm around his waist to pull him closer. He just wants to crawl onto him and stay with him. How could he be so dumb? So fast to jump to conclusions when there was nothing to worry about? He softly kisses his neck, resting his own head against him.

“Did you call me Hwannie just before?” Jaehwan mumbles against his neck.

“You don’t like it?”

“No, I like it, just never said that before,” he says, sitting up properly again, switching from cuddling to their fingers intertwining on the back of the velvet couch. Hakyeon being careful as to not destroy or annoy the bandage on his hand.

“Thought it was a better nickname than Pretty Boy.”

Jaehwan laughs softly. “I also like it better. What should I then call you?” he ponders over it, making a big deal out of finding a nickname that makes Hakyeon laugh. “I know. Yeonnie,” he says with a slightly higher pitched voice.

“It’s adorable, I love it,” he says, leaning in to steal another kiss. “Are you working overtime again?”

“No, barely even working currently. I can barely do anything right now with my hands. I will have to speak to the manager about what I am going to do, but I will be at the bridge tonight, same time as always.”

“Same time as always.” 

They share another kiss with each other, this time a more hungry one than the previous. But they both stop faster than either of them wanted to. It’s too public. They have too high of a chance to get caught by someone. You never know who looms around the corner of the halls, hiding in the shadows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much for reading. I know this angst didnt last for very long but it is a more of a long term angst/conflict with Hakyeon and himself so not completely over yet.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed it, I appreciate all the kudos and comments 💕 
> 
> I'm on twitter @zeze_moonlight


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some people are quick to borrow money, some refuse money altogether, and many are too willing to hand money out. In this kind of world, money is the root of all evil.

Jaehwan’s fingers slowly travel over Hakyeon’s cold skin on his stomach, traveling up to his chest, his lips and teeth biting onto the skin of his earlobe, Hakyeon resisting to laugh. 

It’s dark inside of the tiny apartment, the curtains drawn in front of the window, only a small split for the moonlight to come in through. It’s been a while, maybe three months since they started their relationship but neither of them has really been keeping track of it. And Hakyeon has been keeping it secret for everyone he knows except for his nephews and nieces. They know and Hakyeon enjoys telling them about Jaehwan. Sobin is especially curious and constantly asks to meet him.

Jaehwan, on the other hand, has told everyone he knows. Last time they went into the bar together in the Red Zone, the bartender, the old white-haired man, had greeted Hakyeon as if they were old friends, treated him much better than the first time. Apparently, Jaehwan was too excited to keep the secret and if Hakyeon weren’t so scared of the judgment from his family, he would probably also have been too excited.

“When is your sister arriving tomorrow?” Jaehwan asks, lifting himself up on one elbow, his fingers still traveling around and moving further and further down, coming dangerously close. He still hasn’t fully recovered from earlier.

“At some point during the day. I am taking a train tomorrow morning, so no walking together tomorrow evening.”

Jaehwan does not respond, instead, he leans down, pressing their bodies together and starts kissing his neck. Hakyeon instinctually starts moaning, tilting his head to allow for more access, their legs tangling together. A whimper is forced out when they rub against each other, both of them still very sensitive. Since Hakyeon moved into his apartment a month ago, he does not have to travel as far. There is no one to notice if he arrives home very late. He finally has more freedom. More time with Jaehwan in the evening.

This will be the first time since they met that they will be separated from each other in more than a day. After Jaehwan had to work overtime that one evening, they had a long serious conversation on what to do and how this should work. They mainly spoke of Jaehwan, as he was already in pain and troubled, feeling guilty. Hakyeon did not want to trouble him with his own problems, his own doubts. It would just be a burden.

But despite this, despite their relationship only improving, it’s during the day Hakyeon has it worst. Where all of his feelings come washing over him and there is no one he can turn to in a crisis, mainly ending up with him alone in his apartment, crying to himself. He feels freer, but he also feels more secluded. He feels more doubtful about his own thoughts. But all his worries on their relationship and the future washes away when he eventually finally can be comforted in Jaehwan’s arms. 

“Come with me,” Hakyeon moans out. The kisses stop and Jaehwan lifts himself up a little, so they are face to face.

“We came like ten minutes ago, are you really already ready for a second round?”

Hakyeon hits his shoulder while Jaehwan laughs, a huge smile plastered on his lips and his eyes turning into crescent moon shapes. 

“I come with me … tomorrow, to Busan. Just the two of us, and no worries in being caught or anything.”

His smile fades and he starts drawing small circles on his skin.

“I would love that, more than anything but I can’t. I can’t take off from work, I am not allowed to.”

“It’s just two days, skip work and come with me.”

He leans up and their lips meet, hungrily moving for each other. Jaehwan softly pushes him down onto the mattress again, separating them. He shakes his head.

“It’s two days of payment I can’t afford to lose. I don’t have a bank account filled with money, I don’t have servants to do whatever I ask them to - I am not you. Not all of us can use our money however we want to.”

A sharp piercing feeling is shooting through his heart. And it keeps digging deeper, piercing through his skin. He knows it’s true, but the words used make it seem like it’s his own fault. He did not ask for this life, he did not ask to be born like this. Hakyeon opens his mouth but Jaehwan silences him before he even gets a chance.

“It will be alright, we have many more evenings coming for us when you return home.”

“I’m just tired of it only being in the evening and the few minutes in the factories. I wanna be with you for longer, an entire day.”

“I know, me too,” Jaehwan says quietly, almost in a whisper.

Their foreheads are pressed together and the silence fills the room. Hakyeon wishes he could help Jaehwan, get him out of the Red Zone and integrate him into his own social class. Have him move into his own apartment - which Jaehwan already refused due to being too far from work - and have him start a new life, as an artist. No one would question it. 

But it’s just not that simple.

Hakyeon sighs, knowing his arguments won’t lead him anywhere. He can’t convince Jaehwan.

“I have to go before it becomes too late.”

Normally he would be fine with staying at Jaehwan for the night, he has done that many times, but there are multiple reasons why tonight he can’t. He has to be able to reach the train, so unless he wishes to wake up at the same time as Jaehwan tomorrow and run to his apartment, he has to go. And a new reason, he feels hurt by Jaehwan’s words. He knows Jaehwan meant nothing bad about it, that he did not intend for his words to be hurtful but they did.

He crawls out of Jaehwan’s grip and gathers his clothing, putting it all on again, Jaehwan putting his underwear and pants on again. 

“Need me to follow you to the gates?” Jaehwan asks, picking up his shirt, getting ready to put it on. Hakyeon shakes his head, putting on his jacket and avoiding eye contact.

He feels something rest on his shoulder, feeling Jaehwan nuzzle his face into his neck and whining like a small dog.

“Yeonnie, please don’t be sad,” he says in a cute baby voice. 

“I’ll miss you,” Hakyeon says, and he will. He is hurt but he won’t bother with that now. This is better and is less conflicting.

“It’s just two days and then you will be back. I’ll miss you too, but I am more excited for you to return, you can tell me about Busan.”

Hakyeon can’t hide the smile that forces its way to his lips. What has he done to deserve him? They kiss each other goodbye before Hakyeon leaves for the gates, hurrying back before the time reaches midnight. Wandering back to his apartment, he starts looking more at his surroundings. Each time he walks the route, he notices something new. After having moved into the apartment, and having to take a new route, there are new things that grab his attention. Things such as the change in building style from one street to another, restaurants that seem interesting to him, but also small things such as how people have decorated their windows.

The curtains they have put in and who is still awake at this time of the evening. What kind of things are they doing? He wishes he didn’t have to leave, but Jaehwan can’t be his only focus. He has to be able to separate things, live his own life and not just constantly have his life be about one thing. He is going to see his sister and little nephew tomorrow, who he hasn’t seen in a very long time. It will be wonderful, see how much Yieum has grown compared to last and just being able to speak to his eldest sister again. 

As he reaches his apartment, he notices a dark shadow on the ground, in front of the main entrance. It’s gloomy and slouched over and a strong disgusting smell is in the air as he approaches the building. At a certain point, he starts recognizing the smell, the smell of alcohol and strong tobacco. Maybe it’s someone who has passed out, drunkenly, in front of the building. Hopefully, it just is. He will have to call the police when he gets upstairs. There are many families living in this building, he highly doubts it’s appropriate for this. Trying his best to ignore it, he steps up to the door and finds the key in his jacket pocket. 

The drunken man starts making sounds, and just as he opens the door to the buildings and is about to step inside, something grabs his ankle. Suppressing his scream, he aggressively pulls his foot away and nearly kicks the man, stopping himself when he sees who it is.

“Jaeho, what the fuck are you doing?” Hakyeon asks, feeling a new urge to kick him out of anger.

“I need your help,” the man manages to blurp out.

“Why are you drunk on a Wednesday?”

“Pleeease,” the man screeches, clearly not listening to any words he says. Hakyeon wants to go inside and slam the door. He wants to run upstairs and call the police so they can take care of him. It’s what Jaeho deserves for ignoring him for the last month or so. Serves him right.

But instead of doing all of that, he lets out a heavy sigh of annoyance, leaning down to help him up. Hakyeon carries him upstairs, and into his apartment, dropping him down on the couch, taking a napkin to dry the sweat and saliva off his shoulder.

“Do you need a bucket?” Hakyeon asks. Jaeho shakes his head. “If you vomit on anything, you’re paying for it.”

He goes into the kitchen, getting a glass of water and making sure to make it as loud as possible, slamming the doors and cupboards to annoy Jaeho and the obvious headache he has. He hands it to him, helping the man to sit up.

“Now what’s wrong since you’re already completely messed up at like 00:20?”

“Just got … bored, nothing to do. Do you have an extra bed?”

“What about your own apartment?”

“I don’t have one… I haven’t been able to pay rent this month, so there is no electricity.”

“And why didn’t you?”

“Just didn’t earn enough … Can I borrow some of yours so I can pay the landlord tomorrow?”

Hakyeon rolls his eyes, taking off his jacket and finding his wallet. He can’t say he isn’t surprised. This isn’t the first time Jaeho has done something like this.

“How much do you need?”

“1.740,000 won.”

Hakyeon nearly drops the wallet on the floor, along with his jaw.

“What? 1.740,000 won? Since when did your rent become so expensive?”

Jaeho does not live in an expensive area. He lives in what is considered a “normal” area for a higher middle-class person, mainly due to the cheaper rent there.

“It’s two months payments,” he says, with his head hanging low.

“Holy fuck, Jaeho, what is wrong with you?” 

Jaeho does not answer as Hakyeon starts emptying his wallet, taking out all of the money there is inside of it and counting it. Not enough. He goes over to the safe inside of his bedroom, where he has the extra money in case something like this happens. He starts counting and luckily he has enough with some to spare.

“Here,” he says, throwing the money to him after wrapping an elastic band around them all.

“Hakyeon, thank you so much. I really didn’t want to do this, you know me, you know I wouldn’t have asked for money if I wasn’t desperate. I’ve tried everything, thank you, man.”

“Yeah yeah, it’s whatever. Just find a proper workplace and earn for your own money instead of wasting it on alcohol for once. You can sleep on the couch if you want, but I will leaving tomorrow mor-”

“Nah, it’s fine. Thank you, thank you very much, you have saved my life,” Jaeho says, a new form of life in his eyes. He hugs Hakyeon and gives him a large kiss on the cheek before leaving hastily again, out of the door, not even closing it after him.

Hakyeon stands back in his living room, his arms in a form of weak defense in front of his chest, his mind trying to find some form of logic of what happened. Did Jaeho just do that? It was probably just the alcohol in him, Jaeho does become touchy when drunk but never has he experienced him being touchy towards Hakyeon. 

He looks back at the door that stands open. When will he see Jaeho again? It’s the first time seeing him since he first kissed Jaehwan.

When he returns home from Busan, he has to speak to him, and since Jaeho refuses to come to him, he has to go to him instead. Closing the door and wiping the spit off his cheek, he makes himself ready for bed. 

Crawling into the bed that always seems too large. Too cold and empty. Even before he was with Jaehwan, he always hated this bed. How empty and cold it always was. And it still is. He rolls over on his back, staring up at the ceiling. Why is he so scared? Why does the thought of telling Jaehwan about his fears make him so scared? Why can’t he just be honest? He remembers having to come out to his family, his parents. Both Hayoon and Haewon were supportive, to no big surprise, but his parents. It took them months to fully accept it. For Hakyeon to feel some form of real love from them again.

He can’t go through that again. He feared for his own security there, his own safety. He felt so lost and alone knowing that his parents might not even accept him. He can’t do that again. And who knows, maybe their relationship won’t last. Maybe Jaehwan will get tired of him eventually. Tired of a relationship that is struck and has no possible way of moving forward. No future. 

They have no future together. They only have now. Hakyeon turns over and buries his face into one of the pillows when he feels his eyes starting to well up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am putting Jaeho back into the story because he will play a part, later on, so had to make sure you do not forget him. The payment he asks for is well over 1000 dollars, in case you are not sure of the amount. And I did make a small time jump of two months because I did not want to drag out the story too much and have you all read chapters which are all basically the same.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the next shall be published soon. Thank you very much for reading as always, I love you all.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The reveal of a secret

The loud roarings of the steam trains and the whistle tones of the engines starting wakes the small boy sleeping, his head resting against Hakyeon’s thigh. He opens his eyes for a short moment before turning around over on his other side and falling right back asleep. 

“He barely slept last night,” Haewon says who is sitting across from him in their cabin, on the train going to Seoul. The sun has just barely risen over the horizon, the light just breaking at the dawn.

“How come?” he asks.

“He said the bed was uncomfortable. And that there were loud noises outside the window. He’s an imaginative little boy.”

Hakyeon smiles, looking down at Yieum sleeping, peacefully. He met his sister yesterday for dinner after they had arrived and spent the rest of the evening with them before he returned back to his own hotel room, which was just one floor above them. Yieum seemed tired from the long journey and so did Haewon who had to take care of him alone. Hakyeon took over so she could rest and he played with Yieum for the evening. 

The cabin they are in is separated and closed off with a door and windows out into the train hall. Comfortable velvet seats and a pretty carpeted floor. They are able to draw in the curtains to darken the room, maybe even get some rest but neither of them thinks that will be necessary. He will be able to fall asleep with no problem after barely sleeping either. But his is of different reasons. He wasn’t able to sleep due to loneliness. Which he found strange, as he and Jaehwan have only ever spent an entire night together a few times, but just having to go to bed without having spoken to him or seen him. It felt strange. He was just alone with his thoughts once again and no one to really calm him down and assure him of anything.

And it’s the same thoughts every time. How can he love someone he is ashamed to show? 

“How did you sleep?” Haewon asks suddenly, finding her wallet in her purse.

“Me? I slept alright. It’s always strange sleeping in new places. Unfamiliar sounds and environment.”

“You look tired, your eyes are slightly red.”

He shrugs, dusting it off as nothing. Haewon sighs.

“Is there something bothering you? You have been very quiet and that’s not very like you.”

He shrugs once again, turning his head to look out the window. It’s cloudy and the last few passengers are getting on the train. 

“How’s Jaeho? You said he had come to you drunk.”

“Yeah, he’s being weird lately. I will have to speak to him if I have time. His family has been invited for the ceremony in the blimp so maybe I can do it there.”

“What did he ask for?”

“He hadn't paid his rent for two months and was being thrown out, so I gave him some money to pay for it.”

“He will pay you back, right?”

“I hope so. It was a lot of money, but it was strange. I hadn’t spoken to him in maybe like a month when he came to me. It didn’t seem right.”

“Hm, be careful about him. He doesn’t seem … stable.”

Doesn’t seem stable. That’s probably how he would also describe Jaeho at this very moment. He is being questionable. Haewon stands up, drawing her coat tighter around her.

“Do you want anything from the trolly? Some food?”

“Some bread and fruit would be good. Maybe also some tea.”

She nods and leaves the cabin, closing the door carefully after her. Hakyeon looks after her, before returning his gaze to Yieum, closing stroking his hair. He knows if there is someone he can comfort himself to, it’s Haewon. She would never judge him the same way the others would. Hayoon would maybe be understanding but still questioning him and his moral. His ethics. 

But how would she even react to it? What is her view of it? He cannot know but he is tired of hiding his fears. Tired and exhausted of constantly having to lie. He can’t take it anymore. The door opens again and Haewon walks in, a Stewart boy walks after her, putting on the table at the window, placing the plates and tea on the table. They both thank the man as he leaves again, closing the cabin door.

Now he can, he can tell everything and get everything off his chest. But how will he? Sitting in front of her, how can he burden her with his problems? She pours up some tea in the cups, handing him one. He takes it, trying to find words to express himself. Where does he start? What does he begin with?

“Should I be prepared for something when I get home? Any new gossip?” Haewon asks.

“I think … that’s something you should ask Hayoon about. I am not very up to date with gossip. I have been busy with my new apartment and…”

“And?”

“And a very very close friend of mine called Jaehwan,” he says softly.

“How close are we speaking?” she asks, putting down the cup, tilting her head a little. Hakyeon draws his lips into a small line. Her eyes widen and a small smile on her lips. “Hakyeon, oh my lord, you have a partner. Why haven’t you told me? For how long?”

Her excitement pleases him, but he knows it won’t last for long.

“For about three months now, soon four.”

“Will I get to meet him?”

“Maybe, if we go to the factories.”

“What do you mea-”

“He’s a factory worker. He’s from the Red Zone… He’s from the lowest possible class.”

Her smile fade and her hands drop to her lap, her eyes seemingly shaking as they process what he told her. He looks down, not bearing to be able to look into her eyes. He shouldn’t have done this. This was a mistake. A grave mistake.

“How did you meet him?” she asks. Her tone is not flat, but it’s not angered or annoyed either. She sounds interested. He looks up at her, and her smile is back. And he can’t help from smiling either. 

He tells of how he met Jaehwan, of how he founds him in the rain with a rusted metal decoration piece and helped him fix it. Telling about their first kiss together and throughout the story, Haewon seemingly becomes more interested, asking questions in the story and wanting to know everything. He did not expect this form of excitement from her, this form of interest when he told her. Under the story, the train started and drove out of the train station, on the way to Seoul.

“He sounds lovely… you walk every night together?”

“Yes, every night. We meet at the bridge, by this specific pillar and I walk him home. Sometimes I even stay the night if I have the time.”

“Aw, such young love… does anyone else know?”

He shakes his head. “No, only you. I can’t tell others. Mother and Father will kick me out of the family.”

“I doubt they will do that but, they will definitely react differently. But, so what are you going to do? Keep it a secret forever?”

“That’s the thing. I don’t know what to do … I’m stuck in my own thoughts of what our future would be if we even would have a future together. We are such clashing social groups and manners, it would be impossible for us.”

“Who says that? Who told you that?”

“...myself.”

“Have you spoken about this with Jaehwan?”

“No.”

“Do you wish to have a future with Jaehwan? Do you want this relationship to last or do you know it’s gonna end in a few weeks or months?”

“I… I guess I want a future with him.”

“Then talk to him. If he cares, he will listen. He sounds wonderful and couples need to be able to communicate. Don’t fear Mother or Father, they should be happy for you no matter what.”

“I do care for Mother and Father’s opinion, but the larger fear is the social barrier there is between us. Even the cultural barrier.”

“You speak of this fear to your sister who married a Japanese man. You might not have seen it, but when I told Mother, she cried out of sadness. Her Korean daughter, marrying a Japanese man after what happened with the Japanese imperialism, she was so fearful of what her friends would say, that the family would be shamed.”

“You are not scared?”

“I do not fear what they will say to my husband. Neither does he. But I fear what Yieum might hear … he is luckily not bullied in school for being half Korean but I can’t imagine the hate he will see if we move to Seoul. Japan is the best place for him to be right now… The cultural and social barrier can be compromised, and if you both work for it, it will work out in the end. But it’s a lot of work, a lot of conflict and both parties have to be equally invested. Then other people’s words do not matter.”

He sighs and leans his head back against the velvet seat.

“You’re right,” he says, knowing that this is what he should have done from the beginning.

“I’ve had many years of marriage to teach me this. I will be excited to meet him, hopefully. But, just one question, based on your past relationships … how do you know he just isn’t using you for money?”

Hakyeon thinks back to all their walks. All the evenings spend together. The times where Jaehwan has outright refused to let him buy something for him to when he got annoyed over Hakyeon buying him groceries saying ‘don’t use your money on me’, and just the night before he left. Jaehwan refusing to let Hakyeon give him money so he can take a few days off work. He smiles at Haewon.

“Because he has bad the chances many times, but has always refused. That’s how I know. No matter how much money I am willing to give him, he always says no.”

Haewon smiles as well, seemingly convinced and happy for Hakyeon. He feels no judgment, no shame over him. Just happiness and support, what he needs. They start eating the fruits and the bread Haewon brought from the trolly, and the now cold tea, watching as the scenery as they pass. The sun has risen and the sky is beautiful. There is so much landscape of the country. 

“How I miss Korea sometimes. I feel like I miss out on so much family and friends event,” Haewon says, pouring up more tea to the both of them. “Speaking to Mother and hearing of all the things that are happening, makes me wish I could return home faster.” 

“Hayoon and I also miss you. We need someone to separate us when we can’t agree on something.”

She laughs, opening her coat and removing it, fixing her clothing. “Finally there will be some form of order in the house … Hayoon invited me out for a lady day together with other ladies of the club. I know this is asking for a lot but could you please look after the children for the day?”

“For how long?”

Four children, all of the different ages and all very hyper and active children. Hakyeon loves his niece and nephews but he only has so much patient and energy in him.

“From like 12 PM till like 9 PM. I don’t want to stay there too late, and Yieum needs to get his rest.”

That’s a long time, but he knows their parents definitely do not have the energy or time to take care of them. Because Hakyeon was born so late compared to his other siblings, his parents were already old and there they did not have much energy to play with him. They will definitely not be able to take care of four energetic children. He nods.

“I will do it. Just drop them off at my apartment tomorrow, then you can also see it.”

“I am very excited,” she says with a smile, properly happy she can now get a break from Yieum and spent some time with her old friends. 

 

At the same evening, after having helped Haewon and Yieum home to the estate and into the guest rooms, he walks once again towards the bridge. He told the others he was going home, but Haewon gave him a small smile, knowing where he was going. Walking onto the bridge and pass the pillars, he wonders. Will they be able to talk tonight or should they just enjoy themselves together. 

He doesn’t get a chance to decide before Jaehwan stands before him, smiling and sweaty from the day’s work. Hakyeon comes to a halt. The pillar is still a bit away, he has barely just stepped onto the bridge.

“Hi,” Hakyeon just says, and Jaehwan steps forward drawing his arms around him, pulling him into his chest.

“Welcome back. How was Busan?” he asks. Hakyeon has to breathe through his mouth, to avoid smelling Jaehwan.

“It was lovely. I will tell you things on the way, shall we go?”

“Wait, just a sec. I haven’t gotten a kiss yet,” he says pouting.

“You can get one after you have showered.”

He pouts even more.

“Then let’s walk to your apartment,” he says, letting go and taking his hand instead.

“My apartment?”

“Yes. My work at the factory for the blimp is done, so no work for me tomorrow. Thought I could stay with you for once. I hope that is okay with you?”

Hakyeon stands taken back for a few seconds. Being let off work at a factory, he has never heard of such a thing, especially not at their own factories, but maybe the Pai family has different ways of operating theirs. He did see how they treated the structure of their factories compared to his family. But the ceremony for the blimp is next week, so it would make sense for Jaehwan to finish up this work. He must have finished early. 

“That’s … wonderful. And good timing for me returning. But I am watching the children tomorrow for my sisters.”

“Then it’s good they know about me, I will help taking care of them. I love children and they love me. Shall we go?” Jaehwan asks, already taking steps towards the stairs of the bridge, eager to leave. He starts pulling Hakyeon along, not wanting to wait anymore and Hakyeon just walks after him. 

He is still confused as to how he can be free, and so close to the deadline. He would assume they would be busier than ever before and that they would have less time to spend together. But apparently not. Hakyeon guide Jaehwan back to the apartment, hurrying inside of the building. A factory walking around in these areas will definitely be seen as suspicious. As soon as they get inside, Jaehwan nearly drops his jaw.

“Wow, this is all for yourself?” he asks, walking inside of the living room.

“Yes,” he says, locking the door. “All of it.”

“It’s so huge and nice. I like it.”

“Now bath, you smell,” he says, pointing towards the door leading to the bathroom.

Walking next to Jaehwan the entire way was somewhat torturous. He must have worked a lot harder today than usual. He has never smelled so bad before. Jaehwan comes up to kiss his cheek before running inside the room Hakyeon pointed towards. Despite the smell, Hakyeon smiles, enjoying being back home. Now there is another problem. Clothing. Does he have any clothing that will fit Jaehwan? Going inside of his closet and checking, there are a few more casual shirts that might fit him and one pair of dark brown pants. Hopefully, this will do. 

He goes inside the bathroom, seeing Jaehwan soaking in the bathtub, filling his hands with water and dumping it over himself.

“Here’s some fresh clothing you can wear tomorrow. Now,” he says, laying the clothing on the counter and going over to sit on the edge of the bathtub, folding the sleeves of his shirt up. “do you really have free tomorrow?”

It seems out of the mind that the manager of the factories would give an entire team free a week before the ceremony. Even if he finished his work, there would probably be more than enough for him to do or help with. Jaehwan nods, looking up at him with large innocent eyes. 

“Can I now get my kiss?” he asks, stretching his neck.

Hakyeon smiles, leaning down to softly kiss him. Jaehwan moves around in the tub, some water splashing over the edge. He moves his arm around his waist and hips, one hand now resting on Hakyeon’s thigh.

“Why don’t you join me?” Jaehwan asks, teasingly, pinching his thigh a little. Hakyeon grabs his hand, forcing it away.

“Maybe another day. Finish up here. I will go make some food for you.”

Hakyeon gives him one last short kiss before standing up and leaving the bathroom, leaving the door open. He also has to prepare food for the children tomorrow. But now that Jaehwan is here, tomorrow will go easier, now he can finally have some help and support in keeping order in those hyperactive children.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been a little while but I've been busy with traveling and family coming to visit, etc, plus I had a short period of time of not much motivation but I'm finally back! I hope this chapter was worth the wait. I am personally very happy with this chapter, not sure why but I just enjoyed writing it a lot.
> 
> Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it and is excited for more.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Children of high energy during the day  
> Soft words and confessions in the evening

There comes a knock on the door and Hakyeon is immediately off the couch, grabbing Jaehwan’s wrist to pull him up as well. He finished preparing for the children to arrive early, even before Jaehwan woke up. He let him sleep in, the first time he properly has received eight hours of sleep. Waking up in the morning with Jaehwan next to him in his own apartment made it seem too real. It made it seem like an alternate reality, where he and Jaehwan are living happily together. It felt different from waking up in Jaehwan’s own apartment. 

Jaehwan’s apartment is small, dark and the reality he is used to. The reality where he has to hide his feelings from his family, the dark reality he lives in. But here, it felt different. It felt like a dream. And now, he is back into their own reality, Hakyeon guiding Jaehwan into the bedroom for him to hide. Having to hide him leaves a bad taste in his mouth and does make him feel guilty, but it is to continue to keep them a secret. 

“Just stay here until they leave,” Hakyeon says, slowly backing out to leave again. Jaehwan nods silently, sitting down on the bed. “I’m sorry.”

Jaehwan gives him a reassuring smile. “You just go and let them in,” he says. Hakyeon leaves and closes the door, breathing out heavily. 

He goes out to the front door and opens it and immediately, one of the boys has already run inside, most likely Bohun but he did not get a proper view. Sobin run after whatever child it was and his own sisters enter quietly and calm, Haewon already removing Yieum’s jacket. To his surprise, Sunhee is also standing there, and she enters as well.

“Oh, are you also going out with my sisters today?” Hakyeon asks, closing the door. Sunhee nods.

“Yes, Haewon invited me, saying we needed to discuss the speech we are holding together.”

“I thought it better be sooner than later we started working on it. I would like to finish it before the opening of the blimp next week.”

“How exciting. I will take care of the children while you are gone. We are going to have fun right?” he asks the children who are already crawling on his furniture.

“Will I get the chance to see the apartment?” Haewon asks.

“Yes, I have not seen it either. You did not hold a housewarming party,” Sunhee says.

“He can do that when we come back. We have a table reservation that if we don’t leave now, we will be late. Hakyeon, here is Sobin’s backpack. Her bottle and food are in there,” Hayoon says, handing him a small green backpack to him, already pushing the others out.

He waves goodbye to them as they descend down the stairs and close the door, letting out a deep breath of relief. The bedroom door opens and Jaehwan peeks his head out into the entrance, his eyes wide and searching for any intruders that should not see him. Hakyeon smiles, waving him out.

“These are my niece and nephews,” he says as Jaehwan comes out into the living room, the children all looking up at him. “This is Jaehwan. The one I’ve told you guys about.” They all keep quiet, watching him and taking him in. “Come on, say hi.”

Bohun is immediately on his feet, bowing and saying properly hello, along with Kyu, while Sobin and Yieum just keep looking at him with large curious deer-like eyes. Hakyeon steps over to Yieum, going down onto his level and asks him in Japanese to say hello. Yieum does so, saying it in a quiet and low voice.

“Yieum doesn’t understand Korean, he is being raised in Japan,” Hakyeon explains to Jaehwan, sitting down.

Jaehwan sits down around the table as well, Sobin never taking her eyes off him. She starts reaching out for something, her small hands grabbing after him. Jaehwan lowers his face even more towards her and she grabs his nose, pulling in it, making herself and Yieum laugh. Jaehwan laughs as well, poking her in the side, playfully.

“She’s cute,” he says.

“Are you from the Unsafe Zone?” Bohun asks.

“Unsafe Zone?”

“The Red Zone. Bohun, use the proper name. No nicknames.”

“Ah, well I am from there.”

“Do you then work in a factory?” Kyu asks.

“I do, I am working on the blimp you guys will be traveling on next week.”

Yieum starts whining, rubbing his stomach and saying he’s hungry but the others ignore it. He looks up at Hakyeon, asking for food. Kyu and Bohun are too busy to ask Jaehwan question. They have never met anyone from the Red Zone before, they must be very curious. Just as curious as Hakyeon was when he met Jaehwan. Not much is taught about the Red Zone in schools, only that the other social classes depend on them for electricity and other resources such as food and everyday products.

He stands up, taking Yieum with him over to the kitchen. He prepared a few sandwiches for them to eat during lunch and later on after dinner if they are still hungry. He must not have received any lunch. As he goes back into the living room, he sees that Sobin has crawled onto Jaehwan’s lap and is playing with her toy there instead. 

“Can we go to the factory? I wanna see it,” Bohun says, excitedly.

“No, you’re still too young to go there. Maybe in a few years when you are older.” Hakyeon says, putting the food on the table. “Have any of you had lunch?”

They shake their heads and takes some of the food, Yieum immediately leaning onto Hakyeon.

“So, what are the plans for today?” Jaehwan asks.

“Uh, can we go to the park?” 

“Sure, it’s just down the street anyway. Finish your food and then get ready,” Hakyeon says to them, afterward explaining it to Yieum in Japanese.

The park is grand and there is a lot of families there already. Bohun is immediately running over towards the playground while Sobin tries to run after him, trying to keep up, Kyu slowly following after, watching his little sister and making sure she doesn’t fall or trip. The grass is beautiful and there is a lovely smell of late autumn flowers blooming in the area, the birds chirping away. Still holding Yieum’s hand, he turns to find Jaehwan watching out over every area of the park.

“It’s very pretty here … what about Yieum? Isn’t he gonna go play?”

Hakyeon shakes his head. “I don’t think he will. He always gets very shy when he’s here. Let’s go over and watch them.”

Yieum can play with his cousins at the estate but when it comes to public spaces, he becomes a lot more quiet and introverted. He doesn’t like speaking or answering and would always stay close to Haewon, Hayoon or Hakyeon. The three of them go over to one of the benches at the edge of the playground in the outer corner of the park where the children are playing. Kyu is helping Sobin up on the different things while Bohun is crawling around somewhere. 

"Don't get too messy or your mother will kill me. That means, don't ruin your clothing, Bohun!"

"Yes," Bohun answers, dragging it out dramatically.

"What other languages do you speak?" Jaehwan asks.

"Only Korean and Japanese. A little bit of mandarin but I was never good at it so I did not continue it. It upset my parents a lot as our factories have shares in China but Hayoon speaks Mandarin, that should be good enough then… I'm sorry about the nickname Bohun used."

"Unsafe Zone? It's the first time I've heard it."

"It's an old nickname from when there was mainly thieves, criminals, and hobos living there."

"Seems like it's still being used today."

"Yeah, sometimes," Hakyeon says, moving his fingers through Yieum's hair to mess with it and trying to find something else to speak of. A less sensitive topic. 

"Does Yieum wanna go on the swings?" Jaehwan asks to Hakyeon. Hakyeon watches him confused, realizing he's waiting for him to translate.

He asks Yieum if he wants to and he excitedly nods. Jaehwan stands and holds out his hand. Yieum switches between looking at Hakyeon and Jaehwan, Hakyeon nodding approvingly and pushing him forward a bit before he takes Jaehwan hand and goes over to the swings. He leans back and watches as Jaehwan helps him up in one of the swings lower to the ground, sitting down on the ground as he starts pushing him.

He can hear Yieum laugh from here and see Jaehwan's huge smile for each push. A huge smile of endearment is plastered on his lips. Sobin comes running over to him and pulls in his sleeve.

"Sandbox," she says, pointing at the huge sandbox.

"Want me to come with you in the sandbox?"

She nods and has already taken his hand to drag him over there. He most likely can’t get away without getting his clothing dirty, but it still hurts him to sit down in the sand in these pants. If he knew, he would have put on some that were less expensive, maybe an old pair. Sobin wants to build a small sand castle, carrying some of the small plastic tools over to use and filling them with sand. Hakyeon takes some as well and starts helping her. It doesn’t take long before Bohun and Kyu have also come over to help, Kyu mainly helping in keeping the castle stable while Bohun is digging a trench.

“It’s for attacks. Then there is gonna be crocodiles and sharks in it,” he says excitedly.

“Who then lives inside of the castle?” Hakyeon asks Sobin. She looks slightly baffled by the question, slowly raising her arm to point at Hakyeon. “Do I live there? All alone?” She then points over at Jaehwan who is pushing Yieum on a roundabout, Yieum laughing loudly, sitting in the middle of it.

“You and Jaehwan get a big castle!” Bohun says. “Then he doesn’t have to work in the Unsafe Zone anymore.”

“Stop calling it that. It’s not its name. Red Zone. It’s not very nice to use mean nicknames.”

“But everyone calls it that,” he protests.

“That does not matter. It’s rude to not call it by its proper name. If you call it that one more time, no proper dinner for you.”

He has heard Hayoon use that punishment on them many times before. He knows that it works. Sobin has crawled over to him to grab onto the green backpack. He takes it from her small weak grip and opens it, finding her small bottle of juice, opening it for her.

“Drink up.”

It has suddenly become too quiet in the other area of the playground. Too quiet for his own liking. Looking over there, Jaehwan is no longer spinning the roundabout, it’s just going on its own. Hasty, he gives Kyu the bottle and runs over to the roundabout. Jaehwan stands up from his seat on the ground, his eyes becoming droopy and the smile disappearing. Hakyeon doesn’t even say anything, he grabs one of the bars, immediately stopping the roundabout, harder than he intended to. Yieum crawls out from there, sitting on the edge and hugging Hakyeon’s leg tightly, silently crying.

Jaehwan looks mortified.

Hakyeon manages to get him off his leg, sitting down on the edge of the roundabout as well, taking Yieum into a comforting embrace. Jaehwan slowly comes over, seemingly scared of approaching. Sitting down on his knees in the sand, hanging his head low.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know he was crying.” 

“It’s alright. He was just scared. There is no harm done to him,” Hakyeon reassures Jaehwan, softly stroking Yieum’s hair to calm him.

Yieum whimpers that he wants to go home. 

“What did he say?”

“He wants to go back. Can you go get the others?”

Jaehwan nods, his entire face, and body language have changed now. He’s sulking with his shoulders as he stands up to get the three other kids. Hakyeon starts whispering reassuring comments to Yieum. He has stopped crying but is still clinging on.

Kyu and Bohun come over, both looking worriedly at Yieum.

“Is he okay?” Bohun asks. Jaehwan comes over them, carrying Sobin with the small green backpack over his shoulder.

“Yeah, he’s fine. Kyu, here take the keys to the apartment and walk ahead. I might be a little slow right now,” he says, handing the keys to Kyu and standing up, Yieum completely clinging to him now. 

Yieum calmed down and the others kept him company while Hakyeon was preparing dinner for them. Jaehwan also kept them busy, wrestling around with Bohun and Yieum on the living room floor. They were crawling on him and trying to take him down, Sobin cheering and clapping on the couch, enjoying the entertainment. 

After dinner, they all quieted down. Kyu listening to the radio, while Yieum and Sobin are both basically already sleeping on the couch. Bohun is trying to stay awake but it’s been a long day for all of them. Hakyeon is not surprised by how exhausted they are. He and Jaehwan are cleaning up after the dinner, washing the plates and gathering the leftovers. He’s gonna try and make Jaehwan take it with him back home. Hakyeon is telling about the incident with Jaeho, drying his hands in the washing clot.

“He kissed your cheek as he left?” Jaehwan asks, putting the plates back in the cupboard.

“Yes, never done that before then. He did smell a lot like alcohol, more than usual, so maybe he was just drunk. I will see him next week at the blimp, so there I will talk to him. Hopefully, get some answers, and my money back.”

“I’m surprised you have that much money lying in your apartment. Isn’t that a little risky?”

“It’s emergency money in case something happens where I need the money immediately. Then I know I can just go home and it’s there. And it’s in a safe, only I know the passwords.”

“Safe and secured.”

“Don’t you also just have your money lying around?”

“Yeah, I do. I’m not much better. Mine are in a drawer with no lock, but I’ve never had anyone break into my apartment anyway.”

Hakyeon hymns, shaking the remaining dampness of his hands. Jaehwan also finishes up, closing the cupboard. Hakyeon takes a step over, wrapping his arms around his stomach, kissing the back of his neck, near the nape. He stands completely still, the muscles in his back all tensed up.

“Can I come with a confession?” Jaehwan asks. Hakyeon hymns his approval. “I wasn’t let off work. I skipped today’s work.”

Hakyeon doesn’t answer. Only the radio fills the sound of the space. Jaehwan turns around towards him. He looks worried, nervous nearly. Flickering eyes and a tight mouth. Hakyeon smiles a little.

“I kinda could have guessed that. It’s really not normal to just be let off work, and this close to the opening, I highly doubt your manager would let you… But why? Why now? Why not when I was going to Busan so you could have come with me?”

“I talked to Kwangjo,” the white-haired bartender in Jaehwan’s favorite bar. “I explained the situation to him and he said that sometimes you have to sacrifice things for the ones you love. Sure, I’m missing out on some money, but spending time with you makes up for it.”

‘For the ones you love.’ He isn’t sure how he is even going to respond. If he has to take that claim seriously. If Jaehwan really meant that. Instead of asking, his lips have already formed a mind of their own.

“I love you,” Hakyeon says. He gets deja vu from their first kiss. Him taking the first step. Stepping out of the boundaries he would normally ever dare to do. He wants to close his eyes, not see Jaehwan’s reaction, hide away and not see the result of his action. And he does. As soon as the last word is said, his eyes are closed, feeling a sort of strange comfort in the darkness.

He feels Jaehwan lean closer, their lips just barely touching.

“I love you too,” he whispers, pulling him closer. He slowly opens his eyes again. There is so much love in Jaehwan’s eyes, so much happiness. Hakyeon smiles, knowing that everything is good, knowing that nothing can harm them right now. He doesn’t care if anyone walks in seeing them right now, he’s just happy to be right here, and if he could, he would never move.

+++

“So you’re Jaehwan,” Haewon says, helping Yieum with getting his jacket on. Hayoon already took the three others down to the car, but Haewon said she wanted a tour of the house. Luckily, Sunhee went home separately to them. “You’re very handsome.”

“Thank you,” he says, bowing slightly, his hands folded awkwardly together at the front and his shoulders tensing up more than they should. 

“I can’t stay long but thank you both for taking care of the children, and it’s lovely to meet you. Hakyeon, I’ll most likely see you tomorrow, and will you be at the blimp?”

“Yes, I most likely will but away from the public.”

“Aw well, I hope I can at least still see you. Again, thank you. Bye, enjoy the rest of the evening.”

“Bye, see you tomorrow,” Hakyeon yells after her down the stairs, as he closes the door. “See, my sister is nice.”

“She’s very sweet, but let me be nervous.”

“When do you have to leave?” he asks, going over to him.

“I could stay one more night you know,” Jaehwan says, leaning down to start kissing his neck, just below his jaw.

“Won’t you be late to work then tomorrow?”

“The manager won’t notice, and if he does, he can’t fire me.”

His hands move down towards Hakyeon’s belt, slowly opening it. Hakyeon moves his hands and fingers into his hair, making a tight grip as he walks back and let his back hit the doorframe. He forces Jaehwan down on his knees, Hakyeon leaning back and enjoying the view as Jaehwan starts pulling down his pants, kissing around his groin, moving his tongue over his skin.

Hakyeon moans, positioning himself in a comfortable way, his hands still in Jaehwan’s hair. Despite how he loves feeling Jaehwan’s lips on his skin, he can feel himself growing impatient and needy. Desperate to feel and see Jaehwan’s plump lips wrapped around him. Jaehwan starts licking his length, leaving small kisses and long strokes, his hand massaging him. 

Hakyeon looks down as Jaehwan wrap his lips around his head. His tongue pressing against the side, moving around and tasting every surface. Hakyeon rolls his hips, moaning as he feels a pleasuring sensation all around his groin. He wants to push inside of his mouth, make him do as he wants, but he resists himself. Let Jaehwan take his time as he continues to work around his head, his hand making long strokes. 

His tongue glance right over the tip and Hakyeon gets a shock of euphoria, his entire body shaking and his moaning becoming more unstable. He feels hot, his skin becoming wet and warm. Removing his hands from Jaehwan’s hair, he rips open his shirt, exposing his chest. Jaehwan takes him out of his mouth, despite how much Hakyeon wants to grab his head and force himself deep into his throat, seeing how far he can take him. Still working with long and sensual strokes, his nose tip slowly starts traveling around his abdomen, sometimes a small kiss against his hot skin.

His nose running past his navel, pressing his lips against his stomach and licking it. His tongue running around his skin. Hakyeon let his head fall against the door, breathing out heavily.

“Stop teasing so much,” he says, a little rougher than he expected.

“Normally, I am the one begging,” Jaehwan says, laughing and smiling up at him, his hand resting against Hakyeon’s hip.

“I am not begging, but I’m getting impatient.”

“As you wish,” he says, leaving one last kiss on the tip of his length before wrapping his lips around and going further down on him. Hakyeon puts his hands on the sides of Jaehwan’s cheeks, watching. Biting his lips and becoming weak in his knees as Jaehwan reaches the base. 

He feels the tongue against his skin, and it sends another jolting shock through him, pushing Jaehwan further down despite not being able to go any further. He moans and the vibrations make his shoulders slouch, forcing a deep moan out. His fingers move up to grip tighter onto his hair as he starts moving his hips, watching Jaehwan take everything with no hesitation or problems. 

The image of Jaehwan on his knees in front of him, sucking him off was something he wanted for long. Now it’s a reality, it’s even better. Seeing his lips wrapped around him, feeling the vibrations from his moans makes his skin tingle. All of his skin is on fire, burning with excitement. He can’t get enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to give a small tease at the end and the chapter was already very long anyway, I felt like I needed to end it, so why not like this. Plus I really just wanted to include a chapter of them taking care of the children, it was too adorable not to put in.
> 
> As you have seen, this chapter is longer than normal and so will the next one be. It is going to be around the same length but chapter 16 has a few hundred words more. I hope that won't be an annoyance or anything. Hopefully, the ones that come after won't be as long. But, as always, thank you very much for reading and supporting my work, I truly appreciate it all.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Watch around the corners. You never know who is watching.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're confused, don't worry. I uploaded this on Wednesday but took it down because I wasn't happy with it. But this is the chapter and will be the upload. I also think I was very nervous about this chapter and I still am. I am typing this and I already want to delete it and just keep the chapter to myself. But, I am doing it now. So here it is...

Music is playing and the tons of journalists and reporters by the main bridge is too many for Hakyeon to even count. Dressed in a dark red long jacket, a black velvet vest, a black shirt underneath, matching trousers and his brother’s medals on the left side of the jacket, he’s sitting on the stage just in front of the massive blimp. Next to him is his sisters while the children are being held in control off stage by a few of their servants. The Pai family is sitting over on the opposite end of the stage, all listening as the president of the country is having a speech. Hakyeon is, to be honest, not listening very much to it.

Instead, he watches some of their factory workers start to hail the walk bridge from the opening of the blimp to the stage, the railing being raised. Secured to the ground and tested to make sure it can hold the weight of people walking back and forth on it. 

He can see Jaeho’s family and him in the audience, sitting further in the back. He looks clean, eyes more fresh and lively now. There are also inventors, the alternatives as his parents call them. The ones who have high enough social status to live within the high class but refuse to. They so appropriately dressed in metal and leather decorations. Small crocks and tubes poking out of their arms and body, one is even wearing a leather mask. They remind him a little of factory workers and the kind of body protection they wear.

The speech finally stops and the audience applause. Now it’s finally time to ascend onto the blimp. The last few factory workers run inside, making sure they are out of sight as the guests will start walking in. He hasn’t seen Jaehwan, but he knows that he will be there. He is going to be on a level below the main floor, with one of the heaters of the blimp. Whatever he is exactly doing, Hakyeon has no clue. They all stand up and start walking towards the blimp.

Hakyeon is about to step onto the railing. He has never quite enjoyed heights, doing his best to not look down over the edge. The excitement fills him as he steps closer to the entrance of the blimp, the wooden doors, welcoming him in, open wide. He can’t stop himself from watching in wonders as he steps inside. He did see it a while back, but it is much grander than he could ever imagine. The fine carpeted floors, the carved wooden panels at the bottom of the walls, decorated with beautiful sigils of Korean history, matched with a red-brown wallpaper. Chandeliers hanging from the ceiling in the just as magnificent carved ceiling.

He has to go see the lounge room, at the end of the blimp before all the guests arrive inside and he won’t have a proper chance to take in the interior. He starts walking down towards the lounge room, remembering the way from the first time he saw it. There are no doors, only large archways made of stone. Now that the decoration is finished, the lounge room is even more beautiful. Curtains draping down from the ceiling, a large chandelier in the middle of the room, and even a bar at the opposite end of the velvet couches by the windows. But he doesn’t get to take in the beautiful room before his eyes are covered and darkened.

“Peekaboo,” Jaehwan’s soft voice whispers in his ear.

Smiling, he turns around towards Jaehwan, taking his face in his hands and him wrapping his arms around his waist. His clothing is different, there is no metal protection this time, no goggles hanging around his neck, just plain factory working clothing.

“I didn’t know workers were allowed up here,” Hakyeon says, moving his thumbs over his cheeks.

“I’m not, and I have to be downstairs before the guest comes in but thought I could get one last kiss before it all begins.”

“Who knows, maybe I can sneak away and visit you downstairs. You are alone, right?”

“I am.”

A small mischievous smile spread on his lips. “Good,” he says, leaning in to softly kiss him.

“You should stay with the guests tho. Have fun and enjoy yourself, and we are under constant check-ups. There is a manager checking on me every twenty minutes, and who knows what will happen if we are caught.”

“Fine. It’s very beautiful here.”

“It is. Look,” he says, pointing to the stone carving block hanging on the wall. It’s long and is finely carved to show a large tree with berries and storks climbing on the trees, clouds in the background and a carved frame around it all. “I made that.”

“No, you didn’t. That’s not possible.”

“I did. The first one was the one that broke. This is the remake.”

“You are making me believe you carved this in one night?” he asks, going over to touch it. It’s so finely carved.

“After making the first one, I knew how to do it and it went easier, already had the design, so yeah. 12 hours of work.”

His hand falls from the stone.

“Okay… that makes it more believable then.”

“I have to leave now. Have fun and enjoy yourself.”

Hakyeon hooks his fingers into the hem of Jaehwan’s shirt, pulling him in for one last kiss. Giving a proper goodbye and one that will surely leave him hungry for more. It’s always Hakyeon stopping them from going too far, always the one who has to leave but this time, it’s Jaehwan to be the first one to break the kiss. He smiles, kissing his cheek and leaving the lounge, from the other side than where Hakyeon entered. He hears him running down some stairs and in perfect timing, as he hears footsteps approaching the lounge, guests talking with each other.

He steps out from the bar and exits, walking down the hall to find Sunhee at the staircase.

“Noona, shall we go find our seats?” he asks her. She turns towards him, smiling sweetly.

“Sure. Do you know if we are seated at the same table?” she asks as they walk down towards the main ballroom where the entire event will take place.

“I presume so. Close to the main stage as I’ve heard. I would also like to take a look at the different things up for auction. Maybe I’ll buy a few things.”

“I’ve heard there are many great things. My parents told me of some that I am very interested in. I’m glad it’s a closed auction, I am never good at open ones, I get too easily intimidated.”

“No need for worries here.”

The ballroom looks the same as when he was shown it the first time. It was the room they made sure to build first. There are already many guests sitting down, finding their seats and being served by waiters, handing out glasses of champagne. To the side of the stage is a large table filled with objects of great art. He and Sunhee walk down alongside it, looking at some of the pieces. He can recognize the work of some of the artists. In the middle of the table is a few wooden owls.

Hakyeon stops and immediately recognize them. Jaehwan has one of those owls in his apartment. His is old and worn but still intact and one piece. These owls are more detailed, with painted expressions in their eyes but the craftsman work is the same. Undoubtedly.

“Who is this artist?” he asks, trying to find the small piece of paper with information on the art.

“I’m not sure. Is there not a placard?” 

“It’s by Sang Byuok,” Haewon says who has come up next to them. “They are part of his series called The Wood Owls. Each one in his series is supposed to represent something different, and he often made them based on different political or social changes in society. They used to be very popular, but sadly, during the war, he was arrested for propaganda art and most of his collections were burned. Only about twenty or so left.”

“These should be priceless then,” Hakyeon says, imagining the owl in Jaehwan’s apartment. He has a fortune standing on his shelf and he doesn’t even know. That’s also why it seemed familiar.

“The owner of the museum has already laid a huge bid on them, and I doubt anyone can top it.”

“I don’t like this one as much,” Sunhee says, looking at a different painting.

A shadow walks past him, nearly stroking his back. Hakyeon turns to look after it, recognizing Jaeho’s suit, walking somewhere else out of the ballroom.

“Excuse me, I have to go. Haewon, please save me a seat.” 

“Will do,” he hears her say before he is out of the ballroom as well, running after Jaeho. He follows him up the stairs where it nearly seems like a maze. It’s where the servants are, a smoking room and a smaller version of the lounge downstairs without a bar. There is also a children’s room where parents can take their children if they do not want them present for the auctioning. 

Jaeho has walked into the lounge, Hakyeon following after him. He sits at the table just as a quite siren goes off, signaling that they are taken off. He feels the ground shake a little bit as they start flying into the designated route.

“Come, join me,” he says without looking up.

Hakyeon slowly walks forward, hands in his pockets. “Is there a reason you lured me here?”

“I thought I should explain myself. The least you deserve.”

“Ah, so you have noticed that you have been a bit of a prick lately,” he says sitting down. He might as well be honest.

“Yes, I am ready to fully accept that,” he says, reaching inside of his jacket for something, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. “You want?”

Hakyeon shakes his head and watches as he lights one of them, blowing out the smoke.

“I heard recently that smokers receive more radiation than any other person per year. Even more than the radiation workers in the factories.”

“And where have you heard that from?”

“A study at the University of Pyong-”

“Yeah, that’s some communist propaganda shit. What should even be in cigarettes that can be harmful? It’s just a little bit of smoke.”

“So… where have you been the last many weeks?”

“I’ve been busy. I’ve finally got a job, as you suggested.”

“Did you sort out the problem with your apartment?”

He takes in another puff. “What problem?”

“Your rent, the money you borrowed of me, did you pay your rent?”

“Oh, ah, yeah. Uhm… I actually might need some more, if that’s okay.”

“More? I gave you 1.740,000 won, which in my opinion is way overpriced for the area you live in, how much more is your landlord demanding? You need to speak with a professional, not borrow money.”

“It’s not for my landlord. I own some people money, and I need to pay them back.”

“Don’t tell me you brought drugs or something.”

“No, I was gambling. I ran out of money, so I borrowed money off of someone.”

“So you are borrowing money off me, to pay off a debt that you have because you borrowed money… Don’t you see the cycle?”

“I am expecting you to be more nice and supportive about it. That’s why I am telling you now, so you can help me.”

“I am not going to get involved with your gambling addiction or whatever you have now,” Hakyeon says, standing up in annoyance. 

“Come on, it’s not that much anymore, please I beg you. They said if I don’t pay soon, consequences will follow.”

“Then get a bank loan.”

“Hakyeon, please,” Jaeho says, standing up as well and grabbing onto the collar of Hakyeon’s jacket. “Just this once more, and I will never ask you again.”

“How do I know you are not lying again and just gonna blow this money on something else?”

He doesn’t answer immediately. He seems hesitant, almost scared or trying to find the right words.

“Please, trust me.”

“I don’t think I can, not this time. You already lied to me previously, you’ve been distancing yourself from me for months now, you don’t care about me anymore. You are only using me to save yourself.”

He manages to get out of Jaeho’s grip. He looks speechless, shocked, his eyes wide and his shoulders draw in closely. Hakyeon fixes his jacket a little before turning and leaving.

“Fuck you! Fuck you and your spoiled little rich ass,” Jaeho yells after him. “What do you think will happen if words slip out that you and that factory worker are fucking?”

Hakyeon stops dead in his track, his heart had jumped into his throat. His hands are shaking and he suddenly feels as if the room temperature jumped sky high. He slowly turns towards Jaeho, who is just smiling.

“Yes, I know. It wasn’t tough to figure out. So unless you want the entire city to talk about you and your little secret relationship, I would suggest giving me the money I ask for. Or I am going to tell the journalists, the news reporters, the high-class ladies at the clubs and before you know it, you will be known as by Cha Hakyeon, the rat fucker.”

He slowly approached him, Hakyeon wanting to run away or throw him out the window. He was smiling the entire time, enjoying watching him suffer and slowly break down. He can’t let others know. Not yet. He clenches his hands into fists, nodding, his teeth gritting together.

“You win. I’ll give you whatever money you want.”

His smile widens and he takes his face in his hands, clapping his cheek. “See, that wasn’t so hard, was it? Now, let’s go downstairs and enjoy the evening.” 

He walks past him, leaving him speechless and shaking for himself. How would he even know? How did he even figure out? Did he go through some sort of checklist, going through all factory workers? No, that’s impossible. Jaeho was drunk when Jaehwan introduced himself at the party. If he lied again, how did he then figure it out? He shakes himself off, trying to calm himself down before walking down into the ballroom, and over to sit with his family. Sitting in between Haewon and Hayoon, pretending that everything is alright when on the inside, he is scared. His best friend is blackmailing him. Haewon puts her hand on his shoulder.

“Are you okay?” she whispers.

He just nods, forcing himself to smile. And somehow he manages to get through the auctioning with no problem, barely saying anything as usual and keeping quiet, to himself, only speaking when spoken to. His mind is racing. Should he go down to Jaehwan and inform him or would that be too risky? At some point during the evening, Sunhee joined the table, saying she wished to go over the speech one last time before they had to go up. 

“It’s still first in forty minutes,” Haewon says.

“Yes, but I just wish to make sure. And Hakyeon and Hayoon can give their opinions on the speech then.”

While they are practicing their speech, Hakyeon does not listen. He just stares down at the table, waiting for the evening to be over. Worst is, he can’t even go to Jaehwan and be comforted. As they finish, he comes to his senses as Hayoon starts complimenting them.

“It sounds really good, very professional.”

“Yes, it was lovely,” Hakyeon says as well, pretending he was listening. While Sunhee smiles, Haewon looks at him with doubtful eyes.

“If you will excuse me, I will go to the loo,” Sunhee says, standing up and leaving them.

“Hayoon, can you get me some water from the table?” Haewon asks. She nods, standing to leave as well. “What’s wrong?”

He breathes in deeply, trying to keep his voice from shaking in fear. “Jaeho knows… somehow about Jaehwan and I, and is threatening me to give him money to pay himself out of debt.”

“Oh god, Hakyeon, you have to report this. This is blackmail. He is breaking the law, report him to the police, please.”

“He is going to tell everyone about Jaehwan, that news will spread like wildfire.”

“I understand you don’t wanna reveal your relationship but what if he asks for your entire life-saving? If keeping Jaehwan secret really that much worth?” He doesn’t get a chance to answer as Hayoon comes back with a glass of water. “We’ll continue at home.”

Is Jaehwan worth that much? Jaeho could essentially ask him to empty his bank account and give him all of that. 

“Haewon, you have to get ready for the speech,” their mother comes up to say. “Where is Sunhee?”

“She was just there. I think she went to the loo.”

Their mother immediately waves a servant out to search for her, as she grabs Haewon and takes her with, over to the stage to prepare. They end up waiting ten minutes more, delaying the speech by ten minutes. There are a few whispers going around, people sitting and wondering what is taking so long. There is no sight of Sunhee. She has been gone in now for half an hour before the host walks up to the stand and present the speech as simple by Haewon. They can’t wait any longer. But she holds a lovely speech, a beautiful one, thanking everyone for coming. In the end, as everyone is giving standing applause, Hayoon leans over.

“I wonder where she is.”

“Maybe she got cold feet.”

He didn’t see her for the entirety of the rest of the evening. Haewon said she saw her mother rushing upstairs. Maybe she just got very cold feet. But they ended up raising a lot of money. Both for the monument and for the restoration of some of the parts in the Red Zone. And by the end of it, they had reached their goal, the blimp slowly started to descend down onto it’s landing spot. He barely felt they were flying most of the time, only a little bit when they were turning but it was seamless and relaxing for the majority of the flight. Of course, he wishes he could have enjoyed it more. But the blimp lands and everyone leaves it.

Their day is done. The sun has gone down. Hakyeon has to carry Sobin out of the blimp, having fallen asleep on one of the couches on the top level, in the children’s room. It is way past any of the children’s bedtime, he is surprised only Sobin fell asleep. As their driver pulls up to the estate and everyone exits, he is still carrying her.

“Can I just sleep here? I’m too tired to go back to my apartment.” Then he and Haewon can also discuss it more, probably find a solution to this mess.

“Oh, of course. I will have one of the servants get one of the guest rooms ready,” his mother says as they get inside.

“Here, I will take her,” Hayoon says and takes her over in her arms instead, walking upstairs into the room they are staying in, Kyu and Bohun walking after her. Haewon also helps Yieum up in bed, while Hakyeon and his father walk into the tea room to sit.

“So, did you enjoy yourself?” his father asks, sitting down in one of the chairs.

“Yes, it was very entertaining and interesting. I’m glad we reached the money goal, by the end, I was worried we wouldn’t.”

“I knew we would. I am also tired now. Months of work, and now it’s over. We have done well.”

“We surely have.”

Haewon and Hayoon come in as well, sitting down. 

“Kids are asleep, safe and sound.”

“I think Bohun somehow got his hands on a glass of champagne, he was more giggly than normal.”

It suddenly banks hard on the front door, a servant coming running inside of the tea room. There are small windows in the basement for them to be able to see who is coming.

“It’s officers,” she says with a frightened face.

“What are they doing so late here?” Hayoon asks, all of them standing up to go to the door. His mother also comes running downstairs as his father opens the door, two police officers standing there.

“Good evening, how may We assist you?” 

“We are sorry to disturb you, but we need to call in Cha Hakyeon for a hearing, to provide testimony.”

Both of his sisters turn towards him and his mother has grabbed his arm and is clutching onto it.

“May I ask why?” Hakyeon asks, stepping forward. Something doesn’t feel right.

“It’s for rape accusations made by Sunhee Pai. She claims she was sexually assaulted by a factory worker present on the blimp, named Lee Jaehwan.”

For a split second, Hakyeon can feel his entire world crumbling down in front of him.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone is lying, someone is telling the truth. Who can anyone believe?

The first room they are shown to is a small dark room, nearly resembling a closet, with only a weak lamp hanging from the ceiling. There is a large one-way mirror, showing into a just as small room where there are three chairs and a desk. But Hakyeon’s eyes are fixed on Jaehwan who is sitting there, handcuffed and looking down at the ground. Jaehwan can’t see him from the other side, he can only see him. Up against the wall of the small dark room is the Pai family sitting, Sunhee sitting between her parents, her mother wrapped an arm around her.

“The police didn’t tell us much, what has happened?” his mother asks Mrs. Pai.

Sunhee looks down at the ground. Her eyes are red and the bottom of her dress is ripped. She hasn’t changed since the event, none of them have. Haewon comes up next to Hakyeon, looking inside at Jaehwan. 

“Are you going to be able to retell, honey?” Mrs. Pai asks Sunhee and she shakes her head. “Well alright, Sunhee was searching for the bathrooms. All the female ones on the main floor were occupied, so she went downstairs where there are more. Downstairs, she got lost. She went inside one of the rooms - apparently the one that animal was in, and he took advantage of her in the most disgusting ways I’ve ever heard. He deserves a death sentence.”

“Jaehwan wouldn’t have done that,” Hakyeon spurts out aggressively.

Mr. Pai stands up. “Let me ask you, boy. What is your relation to him? He refused to answer any of the policemen no matter how hard they hit him, but he said he would answer to you. How does a worker from my factory know your name?”

His parents are both watching him with weary eyes, and he feels a hard lump in his throat. His hands are slightly shaking and the sweat going down his neck, the room suddenly becoming unbearably hot. 

“Hakyeon and Jaehwan are in a relationship,” Haewon says for him. “And they have been for now - what, four months?”

“Haewon, stop saying such lies. Hakyeon being with a factory worker, that can’t be true, can it?” his father asks, sounding hesitant in the last few words. Hakyeon doesn’t answer. He doesn’t have to. The shame that is painted on his face at the moment is enough of an answer for them. His mother’s hand has jumped in front of her mouth and she looks like she is on the edge of a breakdown - how he feels. 

He has never seen his father so disappointed in him before. It’s not even anger, but just pure sadness and humiliation. He can’t stand to be in here anymore. He turns towards one of the police guards who have been quietly standing at the door, listening to the drama unfold.

“Let me talk to him.”

The guard guides him into the room right next door, unlocking it. It’s a heavy door, scraping against the floor. Jaehwan looks up as he enters, the door immediately closed afterward. He stands still. He has bruises around his left eye and even a few cuts on his fingers, his eyes red and puffy. All his metal decoration is gone and he is back to looking so small. No sharp edges, nothing intimidating, just Jaehwan with his large tearful eyes. If he could, he would embrace him and tell him everything is going to be alright somehow, but he can’t. Not here. Instead, he takes a seat in the chair at the desk, his back turned towards the one-way mirror.

“What happened to your hands?”

“It happened while I was working. A few small cuts, nothing too serious.”

“Who gave you that?” Hakyeon asks, pointing to the bruises around the eye.

“One of the policemen, not sure who. Apparently, I tried resisting arrest so he hit me.”

“Were you trying to resist?”

He shrugs his shoulders. “I don’t know anymore. I feel like I don’t know anything anymore, I am being told I am a rapist and-”

“Did you? Did you rape Sunhee?”

“I didn’t. I didn’t do anything to her, I swear.” He wants to believe him. He really wishes to, and a part of him does, but why would Sunhee suddenly accuse Jaehwan, a man she has no relation or connection with? “Is your family here?”

Hakyeon nods, taking a deep breath to collect himself.

“Do they know now?” He nods again. “What’s going to happen then?”

“I don’t know,” he says, his voice small and weak. “I believe you when you say you didn’t do anything to Sunhee. But the others are not going to.”

“Will I go to jail?”

His voice is trembling.

“I don’t know what will happen. I don’t want you to go to jail, I don’t want anything to happen to you. You have to answer the questions the police asks you, do not keep quiet, it will make the situation worse.”

Jaehwan doesn’t reply. He looks down at the table where his hands are laying. Hakyeon reaches out and takes both of them, holding around them. They are rough and cold. 

“Please, do it for me,” he begs, knowing that the only way they can get out of this is if the police get on his side. It’s going to be difficult, but if Jaehwan is telling the truth, they might - just might believe him.

“Okay, I will.”

Hakyeon lifts one of his hands up and kisses the knuckles on it. Jaehwan doesn’t look hopeful. He is guided out of the room and into the small closet again where all the others are waiting. Judging from their looks as he enters, they sat and watched everything. He ignores them and goes over to sit next to Haewon. She takes his hand and gives it a small squeeze of encouragement.

He can feel the judgemental looks from the Pai family and the disappointing stares from his own parents. He sits up straight, holding his head high and trying to ignore them, focusing on Jaehwan’s face, the way his fingers tangle together out of anxiousness. Now there are two policemen side of the room.

“We are going to ask you the same questions as before, and hopefully, this time you will answer properly, are we clear?” one of them asks.

“Yes,”

“What happened at the event?”

“Sunhee Pai came into my work area, where I controlled the heating system in the motor of the blimp. She spoke to me shortly before leaving again.”

“So you deny the accusations that you raped her?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Is there any reason she would invent or lie about the incident?”

“Not any that I can think of. I merely work at the Pai family factories. That is my only connection with them.”

The other policeman is writing everything down that is being said.

“Do you have any witnesses who can corroborate your statement?”

“No, I was alone the entire time. We are not allowed to leave our work area. The only other person I spoke to was one of the managers who checked on me.”

“What is this manager’s name?”

“Choi Insik.”

“Okay, thank you very much. Please, put him in solitary confinement.”

Two other guards come in, grabbing onto his arms and forcing him out. Hakyeon cringes seeing the pain in his face as they pull him along. Out of the room and out of sight. 

“Are they allowed to do that?” Haewon asks, clearly also on the more concerned side.

“They can do whatever they want to him. In my opinion, they are being too kind to him.” Mr. Pai says.

Hakyeon grit his teeth and tenses up. Haewon strokes his hand a little, a form of comfort for him. It’s calming but he has too much anger filled up inside of him. One of the policemen comes inside and asks for Sunhee. Her mother is protecting and just barely lets her go inside, complaining about how they shouldn’t ask her about the incident when it’s only been a few hours and she is still emotional. While they wait, Hayoon comes inside the room, her actions slowing as she closes the door, obviously feeling the intense tensing.

She had to stay back at the estate, they couldn’t leave the children unattended. She called home to the private nanny they had, asking them to come over. Hayoon goes over to sit down next to Haewon, leaning in.

“What happened?” she asks.

“I will explain later.”

His parents have not said anything. They might as well not be present. They have kept quiet and not spoken up once. The door in the interrogation room finally opens up and Sunhee steps in, sitting on the chair.

“Okay, so, what happened?”

“I had to go to the bathroom and fix myself a little bit. I walked to the female bathroom on the main floor of the blimp, but they were all occupied, so I went downstairs where I knew more bathrooms would be. But I did not know the exact layout so I got lost. I could hear someone grunting down the hall so I went down to check, maybe it was someone who could help me. Instead, it was … that man. He was working, nearly aggravated. I asked him if he knew where the bathrooms where, but instead of answering he … he grabbed me and started touching me, like a wild animal,” she says, a few tears rolling down her cheeks. “I tried resisting but he was too strong. He said … horrible things to me, what he would do. I tried yelling for help but no one heard. He stuffed a dirty napkin I think it was, inside my mouth as he … as he…” 

She can’t seem to finish the sentence, her voice becoming barely understandable. Mrs. Pai has already started crying and Mr. Pai seems to be even more angered now, his hands folding and unfolding.

“It’s okay, please try and remain calm.” she nods and is handed a napkin to dry her eyes with. “What was the time and duration of this?”

“It was around 7:18 pm and it went on for maybe half an hour to forty minutes.”

When she went to the bathroom and was gone for half an hour. Hakyeon’s mouth starts to become dry. Her emotions seem genuine. She seems visible scared and uncomfortable.

“You said he touched you. Where? Can you describe where?”

“My breast, my neck, my thighs, my hips, in between my legs. He gave me bruises on my thighs.”

How can she have bruises? Hakyeon’s heartbeat is slowly rising and he can feel his paranoia also increasing.

“We can have one of the doctors examine them,” the other policeman says, the one not asking the questions.

“What did you do in response to the incident?”

“I screamed for help. I kicked out after him in self-defense but none worked.”

“What happened afterward?”

“After he finished, he kicked me out into the hallway, saying he was done. I ran to hide in a panic. I wasn’t found until my mother came and found me, she was searching for me as I was supposed to give a speech. I was too much in a state of shock to explain what had happened.”

“Understandable. Is there anything else you wish to tell me that I haven’t asked?” She shakes her head, looking down at the floor now. “Okay, then please, take her to the medical area and they will take a look at the bruises. Make the doctor fill out a report that shall return to us.”

“Will do come.”

Mrs. and Mr. Pai are immediately on their feet, on the way out of the small closet room. Now it’s just them left. The silence is nerve-racking. He can’t stand it. It's jarring, painful to be stuck in this tiny room. There is a clock inside the room, ticking away, counting the seconds. It feels like an eternity, but it might just have been a few minutes when Hakyeon stands up and leave into the hallway.

First Jaeho blackmailing him and now this. He believes Jaehwan but why would Sunhee lie? She was truly crying when explaining what happened? Why would Jaehwan do it? It can’t be true. None of it can be true. This can’t be a reality. ‘Maybe it’s just one big nightmare. And soon, he will wake up. Yes, he will wake up and it’s the day of the event, and nothing will go wrong. Everything will be perfect. 

It’s all just a dream. He sits down on one of the stairs in an empty hall. It’s all just a dream, he keeps telling himself as he cries into the palms of his hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am pleased to see the reactions in the comments from the previous chapter. And I’m sorry for the pain but it has to continue a little longer. These are the parts Ive been very excited to write. I wish I could say except more updates but I am moving country in like five weeks so I will probably be busy. But i will try my best. Thank you for reading, I truly appreciate all the support.
> 
> Come speak or yell at me on twitter @zeze_moonlight


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth is painful and not everyone is able to handle it

“Hakyeon… Hakyeon, wake up,” a soft female voice says, carefully nudging him against his reeled shoulder.

His eyes open slowly, staring into a bright light. Was it just a dream? Did he just have an awful nightmare? As the light becomes duller, the station office comes into view and he wishes to close his eyes again and continue his sleep. 

He sits up from the uncomfortable couch, groaning as he does. After having been alone for half an hour in some hallway of the station, he wanted to go home and sleep. But the officers did not allow him, saying that because he is a “witness” he was not allowed to leave, in case they suddenly needed him. He ended up sleeping on a couch in one of the meeting rooms while the others went home to rest. Haewon and Hayoon are standing in front of him, having changed out of their clothing from yesterday.

“What time is it?” He asks drowsily.

“It’s at about 7 AM. We brought some clothes for you to change into.”

Hayoon holds forward a pair of black pants and a red button-up shirt.

“We were in a hurry. I just grabbed the first time I saw that was left of yours. I hope it’s good enough,” Hayoon says.

“It’s alright. Any news?” he asks, taking the clothes.

“We don’t know, we just arrived but they questioned Jaehwan majority of the night. Go change and we will talk to the officers.”

“What about Mother and Father?”

“Only Father is here. Mother did not want to come.”

He wants to laugh. Of course, she wouldn’t. That means facing whatever problems is going on in the family right now. His sisters leave him to change into the new set of clothing. It’s fine for now, but hopefully, soon he can go home and be alone. Being here is draining him. He walks out to where the others are, Sunhee’s parents sitting at the table while his family is standing as the officers enter.

Everyone looks as tired as he feels. Even the officers as they sit down. 

“Good morning, everybody. We hope everyone rested well. We questioned the factory worker for the majority of the night. He did not confess and did not provide any form of new information. He continues to deny the accusations.”

“What are you then going to do to make him confess?” Mr. Pai says.

“Have you considered the option that he is innocent?” Hakyeon says.

“Hakyeon, keep quiet!” His father snaps at him, making him flinch.

The other’s eyes are watching them, judging them and taking caution as the officers turn around in his paper, pretending nothing happened.

“To answer your question, Mr. Pai. We do believe he is lying, therefore, we have called in for a lie detector machine. Hopefully, it should arrive at some point this afternoon and then we will hold a session with him, asking him questions to see if he is lying. That should provide us with some good sufficient evidence. Cha Hakyeon, we would also like to ask you a couple of questions. In about half an hour, so please be ready for that.”

He nods, not really knowing what he is agreeing upon. What kind of questions are they going to ask him? About Jaehwan and their relationship maybe? The officers leave and so does Sunhee’s parents. Her mother shooting a dirty look at Hakyeon before closing the door.

“What is wrong with you?” his father asks. “Why can’t you just keep your mouth shut when it needs to? And how dare you impose that Sunhee is lying, why would she lie? How can you believe a factory worker compared to a long life friend of yours?”

“Because I know Jaehwan wouldn’t do that.”

“Would Sunhee lie?”

“No-”

“Then why are you saying she is? My gosh, you’re just as stubborn as your brother was.”

And with that, their father leaves the office, slamming the door after him, leaving only Hakyeon and his sisters. His heart hurts. Suffering pain in his chest. He walks out of the office, ignoring the worrying glances from his sisters, making his way towards the room where they will ask him questions. He stands up against the wall, waiting. He is doing nothing but waiting. That’s all he can do.

He doesn’t feel like talking or answering any questions. He only wishes to go home and sleep for all eternity.

“Funny to meet you here,” a voice says to him. He looks up from his seat, staring up at Jaeho, smiling down at him. 

“I hope you’re here because you were arrested.”

“No, but rumors spread fast and heard that you were here. I got curious. I would like to collect some money off you.” 

Hakyeon sighs, dropping his head into his hands. His hair is rather dirty, he wishes he could take a shower somewhere. He doesn’t even care that Jaeho is there. If he wasn’t so tired, he would probably just have yelled at him. 

“Why should I?” he asks, looking up. “If there is already gossip in the Midway Zone about me being here, then it won’t go long before people find out why. So why should I give you any money?”

“People still don’t know. And if they figured out, you will be basically thrown out. I’m sure the Pai family is gonna wanna hide this scandal to the best of their abilities, meaning you can still be saved and your fancy title protected. But if the secret slips ou-”

“Do it. Tell people. Tell that I am with a factory worker from the Red Zone and that he is being accused of raping Sunhee. I don’t care anymore. I don’t care about you blackmailing me or my secret being revealed. I have pretty much already destroyed my life, so why not continue it. But there is one thing I know for sure,” he says, standing up. “Is that you won’t get a penny out of me.”

The door opens, and the officer calls for his name, calling him in for the hearing. 

“You’re gonna regret this,” Jaeho says, gritting his teeth.

Hakyeon reaches up to clap Jaeho’s cheek, the same way he did to him. 

“Good luck,” he says, going into the office.

He wishes he had the chance to see his reaction, see the realization in his face. The officer leads him inside the room, sitting him down on a chair.

“We are just going to ask a few questions, and all you have to do is answer them. Ready?”

He nods, mentally preparing himself for the worst. 

“What is your connection to Sunhee Pai and Lee Jaehwan?”

“I have known Sunhee since I was very young, she has been a family friend for many years. Jaehwan is my significant other.”

“How long have you and the suspect been together?”

“About four months.” He realizes how short that is in reality. For him, it has felt like forever, but saying it out loud, it’s not that long. 17 weeks. Time has flown by, and now, after four months, he’s sitting in an interrogation room, possibly having to defend a man he loves, but has known for five months and been together with for four. Defend him against a lifelong friend.

“In that time, has the suspect been acting weird? Showing dangerous impulse actions or anger issues?”

“No, he’s very peaceful.”

“What about sexually? Has he been aggressive towards you or others in any form or way?”

He shakes his head. “No, ne… no.”

He doesn’t know how Jaehwan was before. If he was different if he is just hiding behind a facade for Hakyeon.

“Did you speak to him at the blimp of the day of the event?”

“Yes, I spoke to him shortly.”

“Anything out of the ordinary?”

“No. There was nothing.”

They write something down and whisper quietly to each other. Hakyeon stares down at the table, watching his hands, his leg underneath the table bouncing slightly. He can’t sit still, fiddling with his nails.

“When is the lie detector test?” He asks, the two officers looking at him shockingly.

“It will be soon.”

“I would like to be present when it is done.”

“We will escort you there when it is time. Just a few more questions.”

He answers questions for what feels like hours. Retelling the conversation Jaehwan and he had on the blimp, providing a half-arsed personality analysis of Jaehwan in his point of view, provide details of their relationship and so much more. Considering how he has kept their relationship secret for so long, it’s alien to speak so openly about it. After maybe twenty minutes, he became more calm, when he realized that these officers could not care less about the difference in social class.

They are simply doing their job. They are not as hard judging as his own personal circle of friends and family would be. But some of the information he gives, he probably would never tell his family or friends. The interrogation is finished and they bring him over to a different room, where a man in a suit is setting up blood pressure and heartbeat machine. 

It’s one of the inventors, and the machine he has never seen before. It must be something new. It’s large but small enough to be carried by a man and placed securely on a table. The officer signals Hakyeon to sit on a chair up against the wall, one of the officers sitting next to him. 

The door opens, and in comes Jaehwan, handcuffed and two officers holding onto his arms as they bring him in. He is behind the one-way mirror, he can neither see nor hear him. He looks exhausted, maybe as much as Hakyeon feels. The door to the closet is opened and Sunhee and her parents enter, their eyes widen at the sight of Hakyeon. But they don’t say anything. They just enter the room and goes to sit on the chairs, as Jaehwan is being strapped to the machine 

It looks torturous. As if it is hurting him.

“We are going to ask you some questions. All you can answer with is either yes or no. We will be able to know if you are lying so it would be the best and easiest route to just tell the truth. Do you understand?” The officer inside the room with Jaehwan asks.

“Yes.” He answers, short and cold, his voice barely there. He is pale and large bags under his eyes. He looks horrible.

“Is your name Lee Jaehwan?”

“Yes.”

Hakyeon’s eyes go to the inventor who is looking at the machine. He is looking at a scene that is faced away from Hakyeon’s eye view. His face does not change, his finger lingering over a button on the machine.

“You were born in the Gwangjin district on the 6th of April?”

“Yes.”

“You live in the Red Zone, in the 5th district, with no apartment.”

“Yes-awh.” He yelps, his hand with a small thin metal wrapped around, curling into a fist.

“He lied,” the inventor says.

“What part was the lie?” The officer asks, looking at Jaehwan. He breathes heavily, his legs starting to shake a little.

“I have an apartment… illegally.”

The officer nods, turning the page. Hakyeon focuses his eyes on Jaehwan’s hand. Where the metal is wrapped around is red, itching. It gave him a shock.

“Were you present yesterday evening in the city square for the celebration and opening of the new blimp?”

“Yes.”

“Were you inside the blimp at the lowest level, working on the heating system?”

“Yes.”

“Did you stay there the entire time whilst the blimp was in the air?”

“Yes.”

There is a moment of silence as the officer places his hands on the table, sighing as he looks down at the papers.

“Was there any moment where Sunhee Pai was in the same workroom as you?”

“Yes.”

Hakyeon feels his neck starting to sweat.

“Did you speak to Sunhee Pai?”

“Yes.”

A ringing starts going off inside his head. It’s quiet, but it’s slowly growing.

“Did you and Sunhee Pai have any form of physical contact while she was there?”

Please no, please no. “Yes.” 

“Whilst Sunhee Pai was in your work area, where you involved with her in any sexual way that could be classified as forced?”

Hakyeon leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his shoulders drawn up, his foot tapping the floor. He can feel tears starting to swell up in his eyes, the image slowly becoming blurry. Jaehwan looks up, staring straight at him as if he knows he is sitting there. His eyes are also teary, and as he opens his mouth to answer, teardrops start trailing down his cheeks. He answers and the officer inside the room sighs. 

He feels the eyes of the Pai family on him, the officer’s eyes on him. He feels in center of the universe, a place he does not wish to be. He can’t breathe. Everything hurts and when the next questions are asked, Hakyeon does not listen. He is stuck in a comatose state of mind. He does not even register when the others leave, only when they take Jaehwan away. If he had eaten anything, all of it would have come up. Every single bit of food. 

The door opens up, the ringing in his ears intensely loud. Hayoon appears in front of him, speaking to him but he hears nothing. Only when she reaches out to touch his face, does he realize how much his eyes hurt and how wet they are. He must have started to cry without realizing. 

“Hakyeon, what happened?” Hayoon asks.

“He confessed… Hayoon, he confessed,” he says breaking into tears. He leans into her, crying into her shoulder as she holds him close, stroking his hair to calm him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All I can say is ... I'm sorry XD
> 
> I hope you are enjoying this emotional roller coaster.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Love is painful and sad

Hayoon brought him home. He couldn’t take it anymore. Being at the station. Seeing and hearing what he saw, he was at the edge of a mental breakdown at any given second. He was crushed, destroyed, complete and utterly broken to pieces. The others had won. Jaehwan has confessed. It feels as if nothing matters anymore. A dark void has entered his life, a dark gloaming cloud over his head, covering his eyes from seeing any form of light. He believed in Jaehwan, trusted him with every small piece of himself, defended him only for all of it to come back and kill him. He feels dead, but he's still breathing for now. All though he hasn't done much to take care of himself over the last couple of days. He hasn't answered the door, hasn't picked up the phone. It's all just his sister's. His parents have not spoken to him since that day. But he doesn't wanna talk to anyone.

Most of his movement has been from the bed to the bathroom to the couch. Most days, he hasn’t even change clothing, doesn't even shower, barely eats. He has no motivation. The man he loved and trusted lied to him. 

The sun has set. It's completely dark outside. The clock on his wall strikes and he hears the church bells in the horizon strike 10 times loudly. He hasn't moved from his curled up position on the couch. He fell asleep shortly but now, he's wide awake. His stomach starts growling, he hasn't eaten all day.

Forcing himself up from the couch, a few bones in his legs cracking upon doing so, he makes his way over to the kitchen to find whatever leftovers of food he has. Grabbing what appears to be bread, he wanders back to the soft comforts of the couch. He just manages to fall down onto the couch again when it knocks on his door. Expecting it to be Hayoon or Haewon again, he ignores it. The knocking becomes louder, more aggressive, nearly poundings on his door. His sisters would never knock like that.

“It’s police, please open the door,” a voice says on the other side of the door. 

Hakyeon groans as he stands up again. He had hoped he would never have to see another officer ever again, never have to speak to one, but that might have been impossible. He goes over to open the door, three officers standing there. One holds forward a piece of paper.

“Evening. We have a warrant to search your house.” 

“And why would you need to search my apartment?” he asks, leaning against the door.

“You do not have any rights to ask questions, please step to the side and let us enter.”

If he had more energy, he would protest. Use his social status as a way to get more information out of them, but at this very moment, he does not want to speak to them. He wants them out of his eyesight as fast as possible. Stepping to the side to let them in, they immediately start searching the different rooms, looking underneath the couch, the curtains, the cupboards and closets, nearly searching for something of a larger size.

“Sir, have Lee Jaehwan shown up at your house in the last 24 hours?” one of them asks.

Hakyeon shakes his head, suddenly feeling more awake. “No, I haven’t seen or spoken to him. Is he gone?”

“Someone - last night - helped him escape out the back door. A search is currently going on around the city. Please, stay safe and report immediately to the station if he contacts you.”

“There is no sign of him having been here. The whole apartment is clean.”

“Then we will be leaving. Thank you for your time, please stay safe.” 

They all three leave, leaving Hakyeon in the middle of his living room, shocked and speechless. Someone helped Jaehwan escape. How? Why? He doesn’t understand. And where would he even go? Back to the Red Zone or would that be too risky? They know he has an apartment there but do they know where? A new form of energy has sprung up inside of Hakyeon as he runs inside of his room, changing into evening clothing and running out of the apartment, grabbing a jacket on the way. 

He runs into the cold and quiet night, the adrenaline keeping him going. It’s the first time he has moved out of his apartment in maybe a week, the first time he will be returning to the Red Zone since that dreaded day.

He runs the entire way over to the gates into the Red Zone, running past the oblivious guards. It’s dark and the streets are more empty than usual. Even the street lights seem darker than usual. Everything seems so dull. He runs the familiar route, the route he and Jaehwan have walked many times over the last many months, towards the apartment where he has spent many nights and what sometimes felt like a second home. The front door is open and a small light inside of the apartment is on. 

Why would he go back here? Running inside and up the stairs, he sees that the door to Jaehwan’s apartment is just creaked open. A part of him wishing for Jaehwan to be there, but the other part hopes he is somewhere else, a place no one can find him. He throws open the door, coming face to face with a bare and empty apartment. But someone had definitely been in here. The duvet on the bed is gone, the closet has been opened and has been half emptied. Hakyeon slowly enters, going over to the desk where Jaehwan would work at.

All the photos he had of his life before the war is gone, but all the sketches are still there. He moves his hand over the table, moving the papers there. One of the sketches catches his attention. It’s a drawing. A drawing of him, sleeping. It’s from one of the days where Hakyeon stayed the night. It’s unfinished but the outline and most of the shading on him is already finished. Only the background that is missing. Jaehwan drew this. 

His jaw tenses up. His fingers tighten around the drawing, crumbling it together. 

He can feel all the muscles tense, his teeth gritting together as he stares at the crumpled piece of paper. If only he had minded his own business that evening, if only he hadn’t helped Jaehwan, or ever agreed to continue seeing him. He throws the paper ball on the floor as his eyes fall on all the other drawings. Placing his hands on the desk, he makes one sweep fast motion and all the drawings fly off, going in all kinds of directions.

The adrenaline has been replaced by something else. Something more powerful and heating up inside of him. His hands are shaking and he can feel the warm blood pumping in his veins. He yells as he grabs onto the desk, forcing it off the wall and onto the wooden floor. There is a loud crack as the desk breaks into three large pieces with a couple of small pieces flying around the apartment.

A few things from the shelves on the wall falls down. Things he has collected over the years. The necklace he found when they were walking together for the first time has fallen to the floor. He remembers how strange he found it, how out of place he felt. Yet, he had felt safe with Jaehwan. Hakyeon takes a step over and steps down harshly to crush the necklace underneath his heel, hearing the glass break and shatter.

A ringing starts going off inside his head. Covering his ears and closing his ears, yelling at it to go away but it doesn’t. It only becomes worse. Everything in here reminds him of Jaehwan. Reminds him of what they did, the things they told each other, how much he loves him.

How much he loves a rapist. A criminal. He falls to his knees and grip onto the sketches, ripping them all to pieces. Wanting to remove every last bit of personal touch was that in this apartment. Wishing to burn it down, burn all of it. 

He covers his ears again, the sound only increasing in strength. Jaehwan’s voice is everywhere. The sweet whispers in the late evening, the small promises he made, his laugh, everything is hunting him. Why won’t it go away? He screams and cries for it stop but nothing is working. He loved him, Hakyeon loved him. He loved a liar, a traitor, a disgusting rat. 

And now he is being punished, alone in the dark as the light in the apartment and outside goes out. Crying for himself, in the long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter but felt like it would be refreshing after so many long ones.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Money is the root of all evil

The door to his apartment opens and the light is turned on. Hakyeon twists his upper body from the couch to see who it is, watching as both of his sisters enter and close the door. He sighs, moving back to his curled up position.

“I forgot you had an extra key,” he mumbles.

“It’s been two weeks, we wanted to make sure you didn’t die,” Hayoon says.

“How are you feeling?” Haewon asks, coming over to the couch.

“I feel dead. And pathetic.”

“Try sitting up and talk to us for a bit.”

Haewon forces him to sit up, sitting down next to him while Hayoon goes over to sit on the chair.

“It was a four-month relationship and here I am, acting like it’s the end of the world.” 

“Don’t think of it like that. These kinds of things hurt and are painful to deal with. No matter if the relationship was four months or two years, having to deal with this for someone you love truly does hurt. No one is shaming you for being sad and angry,” Haewon says.

“Some are,” he says coldly.

“Remember what I told you on the train? Other people’s opinions should not face you. Do what is best for yourself.”

Haewon is right. Even if his parents are disapproving of this, he needs time to recover, he needs time for himself, but he can’t stay like this forever. He sighs.

“Thank you … how far have the rumors gone to?”

“Not very far,” Hayoon says. “All they know is that we were at the police station. They tried to pry me of information when I was at the club but I told them nothing. Curious bastards they all are.”

Jaeho has not said anything then. He has kept it secret still for now. Maybe he hopes Hakyeon will hit a low point where he is willing to give him money. He might be close to hitting that level if he doesn’t pull himself together soon. 

“You should take a shower and get on a fresh pair of clothing. We came with some news, so go freshen up.”

He nods and somehow manages to lift himself off the couch. Finally speaking to someone is definitely helping him, he can already feel that. He has always been a social person, and just a simple conversation with his sisters are giving him new energy. 

He takes a warm shower, washing his hair a couple of times to make sure it is absolutely clean. Taking a new set of clothing, he feels alive again. He feels like he has more energy and just already feels a little bit happier. He doesn’t feel alone as much anymore. As he comes out into the living room, his sisters stop talking and Hayoon is not sitting with a small notebook in her lap. 

“Where have the children been sent off to?” he asks, sitting down next to Haewon again.

“They are all with Hayoon’s husband.”

“He took today off to spent some time with the children. He felt like he had traveled too much recently.”

“That’s wonderful. As long as he doesn’t take my position as a favorite uncle.”

Both of them laugh. “I really don’t think you need to worry about that, Yieum loves you too much for that.”

“Hakyeon,” Hayoon says, leaning forward a little. “Why do you think Jaehwan would do it?”

The question came out of nowhere. It seems odd. He had hoped they wouldn’t have to speak of him anymore, that they could just have a normal conversation as they used to. Maybe even go out for something to eat, now that he finally wants to and is willing to. He shrugs, shaking his head.

“I don’t know. He does not know Sunhee, only that her family owns the factories but else I think that was the first time he saw her.”

“Isn’t it strange, that he would just suddenly rape a woman he doesn’t know? He wasn’t under influence or anything.”

“Are you really trying to justify it? Do they ever need a reason as if it isn’t their fault or to lessen the punishment?”

“No, that’s not what I am doing … ah, Sunhee’s story doesn’t back up, it’s messy, and the timeline doesn’t make sense.”

“Wha-”

“We looked into it,” Haewon says, sounding calmer and more collected than Hayoon. “And based on what Sunhee has said, the reports and everything, the story doesn’t add up. Jaehwan and the manager that was in the basement said that there is a checkup every twenty minutes, Sunhee claims he was using her for half-an-hour to forty minutes. A manager would definitely have come by at that time and caught him.”

“That’s not good enough evidence, it’s weak.”

“There’s more. Doctors report said the bruises on her thighs were a week old by the time they examined them. The manager also filled out a schedule on the day, doing a markup of every room he checked, and around the time when Sunhee went to the bathroom and was gone for a long time, allegedly the time Jaehwan was ‘raping’ her, the manager left a small note in the markup.”

Hayoon unfolds a piece of paper that was inside the book. “This is what he wrote. ‘Sunhee Pai was inside the heating room together with Lee Jaehwan, leaving as I entered.’ I think he would definitely have written more if he had caught them doing something. The police did ask him if Sunhee appeared sad or distressed, and he said she appeared angry, while Jaehwan appeared uncomfortable and stressed.”

Hakyeon sits still, listening to all they are saying. He is speechless, it’s hard for him to even pronounce proper words right now. So much information in so little time. It’s all coming onto him at once, no time to process it all.

“So that means…”

“Jaehwan was falsely accused. He didn’t rape Sunhee, she falsely accused him,” Hayoon says.

He stands up in a hurry, covering his face as he starts walking back and forth in the room, shaking his head. These past two weeks have been a living hell for him. He has been depressed and cried and screamed, cursed Jaehwan’s name over what he did and now he’s innocent? 

“It doesn’t make sense. Firstly, how did you gain access to all of these documents and why? Where you the ones who helped Jaehwan escape? Why would Sunhee do this and where none of this evidence in the case to help Jaehwan?”

“To answer your first and the last part of your last questions; money is the road to everything. Sunhee probably paid them off. But no, we were not the ones to help Jaehwan escape. That news was just as shocking to us, as it properly were to you. Why Sunhee would do this, we don’t know.”

He continues to shake his head. “No, he confessed. The lie detector…”

“It’s a brand new machine, never been tested and has no record of reliability, what are the chances that it is actually working properly? And Jaehwan was being put in solitary confinement, he was basically being put through torture just so they could get a confession out of him, he properly did it to save himself from that,” Hayoon says, standing up and coming over to him. “The police is clearly hiding the truth, being paid off and right now only Jaehwan knows what really happened. Talk to him and figure out what happened.”

“If we learn Jaehwan’s story, then that together with the evidence for why he is innocent and our supports, his name could be cleared,” Haewon says, coming over as well. “It’s worth a shot.”

It’s too much. Jaehwan might be innocent. What if he is? But why would Sunhee lie and falsely accuse him? Hakyeon stands speechless, his fingers digging into his skull of confusion and frustration.

“Do you know where he is?” Haewon asks.

He sighs. “No, but … Kwangjo might.”

“Who’s Kwangjo?”

“A man, a close friend of Jaehwan’s. He works at his favorite bar and Kwangjo helped him a lot when he was young. If Jaehwan would have gone to anyone, it would have been him.”

“Then let’s go. The sooner we find where he is, the better.”

Hayoon pushes him out the door, while Haewon grabs a jacket for him to shield against the cold. Hakyeon has to guide them to the gates and the Red Zone, they have never been through there. Hayoon picked him up once, but that was a long time ago, she barely remembers the way. He guides them through the street that Jaehwan took him on so long ago. 

He remembers the first time they walked here. Hakyeon had not felt safe so Jaehwan had held his arm around him, making sure no one got close. And he had felt safe. As he came more often, he felts as if he could wonder these streets alone, but now, he doesn’t feel that way. The streets are empty and cold, no one sitting outside, no children running around or playing, no homeless people even. It seems dead, abandoned. But everyone is inside, hiding from the cold mid-autumn weather. His sisters are following him closely, making sure they do not fall behind. 

It’s clear, on their body language, the way they look over their shoulder, the way their faces and shoulders are tensed up and the uncomfortable expression on their face that they do not feel safe at all. The bar comes into view. There is little light inside. Hakyeon opens the door and enters, Hayoon and Haewon following closely after.

There is sitting a few people in the back of the bar and as the door closes them behind them, Kwangjo comes out to greet them only to have his entire face darkened as his eyes fall upon Hakyeon. If eyes could kill him right now, he would be dead.

“What are you doing here?” Kwangjo asks.

“I know you never liked me much, but I need you to tell me where Jaehwan is,” Hakyeon says, walking up to the bar. The people in the back are too busy and too deep in their conversation to notice anything.

“Jaehwan hasn’t been there and even if he had, I wouldn’t tell you. There was a reason I never liked you. I knew you were going to bring nothing but trouble and problems for him, and look at what has happened.”

“Please, I beg you. We have evidence that can prove him innocent, but I need to talk to him, to tell him. We need him to be there.”

“As I said, he wasn’t here. Now get out of my bar.”

“How much money do you need?” Hayoon asks, stepping forward.

Kwangjo keeps silent, staring at her before smiling and laughing. He shakes his head. “You imperious bastards are all the same, aren’t you? Thinking you can get anywhere with just some money. I don’t want your money, keep it for yourself. I am not telling.”

Hakyeon feels the desperation rise in him. He has to get to Jaehwan, somehow. Kwangjo walks away but Hakyeon grabs onto his vest and pulls him back.

“Let go of me!”

“Please, just listen to me. You don’t have to tell me his exact location, just tell me what area. We cannot prove his innocence without him, please.”

“Give me one reason why I should trust you with that kind of information.”

Hakyeon feels a few tears rise in his eyes as his sight gets blurry. “I love him. You love him too, else you would not have protected him for so long. We both want him safe, his name cleared, I have the power to do that but I just need him home. Please, help me.” 

He can taste his own tears as they run down onto his lips. His eyes hurt from crying so much. He’s surprised he even has any more tears left. Kwangjo stands still for a few moments before he sighs, staring at Hakyeon as if he is dirt.

“He’s in Gwangjin, in the house he lived in before the war. I don’t know the exact location but in the outskirts of the city near the major farms.” Hakyeon lets him go, his hands shaking. 

“Thank you,” he whimpers.

“Bring him to safety, whatever way you can. It’s the least he deserves.” Hakyeon nods. “Now get out of my bar, now!”

He hurries out from the bar stand and his sisters are already at the door, holding it for him and ready to leave immediately. They get outside, in a cold that’s suddenly comforting. He can breathe properly again, he is smiling despite the tears still falling. For the first time in a long time, he cries for a different reason than sadness. He finally feels a small ounce of hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally some good news! I didn't want to drag out the angst for too long - it isn't over yet, just a small break - and there needed to be some positivity in between. I'm very happy to see all the comments and that a lot of people are enjoying the story, a lot more than I expected to the perfectly honest but thank you very much for all the support. It means a lot to me.


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two lovers finally together again

It’s early morning, the sun rising over the horizon and casting long shadows on the ground. Hakyeon walks amongst the houses. It’s here the worst damage was taken during the war, where most of the bombs were dropped. Most of the houses have been rebuilt. It’s difficult to classify exactly what this area of the city is, if it belongs to the Red Zone or if it is part of the Midway Zone. It’s like it splits down the middle, somewhere in between those two. It is not as industrialized as the Red Zone he is used to, this area is more agriculture and livestock. All the houses are closely packed, square houses with no uniqueness, no color or personality, it’s just bland. Fast and easily built to house many people.

He remembers Jaehwan telling him that the house was so far out that it could barely count as the city anymore, so he is walking near the very edge of the city, keeping an eye out on the houses he finds. Most are empty, no sign of anyone having lived there for a long time. He arrived late and had to find a hotel to stay at, he had left nearly immediately after the talk with Kwangjo. He had packed a little bit of clothing and the bare essentials such as his wallet and something to drink, but nothing more.

He changed out of his normal clothing, his everyday outfit of the shirt and the blazer and changed into more fitting clothing for this environment. A lose old shirt and an old pair of baji that he never wear anymore. He had to ask a few people around on the streets where he needed to go. Most were helpful but there was also a lot of people not having any clue what place he was talking about. 

As he walks alongside an old road, a farmer dragging a carriage filled with food comes into sight. He is wearing a large hat to shield him from the sun. Maybe he knows. Hakyeon walks across the dirt road, stopping the farmer.

“Excuse me, do you know if any of these houses in this area is inhabited?”

“Wa?” the farmer asks, his face crunches together and his mouth open, showing a few missing teeth. Hakyeon grimaces in disgust. 

“Does anyone live in these houses around here?”

The farmer takes a few seconds to think, setting down the handles of the carriage on the ground before pointing. 

“I see smoke coming from the chimney over there. Thought it was empty but,” he shrugs. “apparently not.”

“Thank you very much,” he says, giving a small head bow, setting in the direction of the house he pointed towards. It’s a house close to one of the farms.

Out in these outskirts, it’s mainly traditional homes. Hanok homes. He hasn’t seen them in ages, they are just not built anymore, the design and roofing take too long and not conventional. Nowadays, it is seen as a primitive living style, a peasant living style. It should not surprise him to see them here, but he is surprised to be them in such proper conditions. As he gets closer, he sees that the farm is a fruit farm and he can see watermelons grow in the distant. 

Jaehwan said his brothers and he would go to the nearby farmer. Hakyeon remembers seeing photos of Jaehwan holding watermelons as a child. He immediately sets in a run. Jaehwan is so close, he can just barely reach him. He runs up the steps to the house and into the courtyard of the house. 

It has the shape of a horseshoe, with many doors leading into different rooms. But it seems empty. Did the farmer lie to him? He walks up to one of the doors and opens it. It’s a small room, just enough to fit a futon but it’s empty. From what he remembers from his educational days, this must have been a child’s room. Children were often located together but in separate small rooms. Walking to the room at the end of the house, he opens the doors into a much larger room. 

It must have been the main bedroom. He opens the door completely to let the sunshine in, seeing a futon in the middle of the room. It has not been made. Someone is living here, sleeping here. He closes the door and turns around, nearly stumbling over his own feet when he sees Jaehwan standing four meters away from him, carrying wood. His eyes are large and his entire face is pale of fear. He looks terrified as if he has been sentenced to death. 

“Jaehwan …” Hakyeon utters. The scars have healed, they are nearly gone, just a slight form of green tint underneath his eye.

“You’re here,” Jaehwan says, his eyes welling up, dropping all the wood. “Hakyeon, please, you have to trust me, I did not rape her, I did nothing to her, she did it to me, please trust-”

Hakyeon nearly jumps into his arms, holding him close, taking a few seconds to just take him in. His scent, his embrace, everything about him. Jaehwan holds around him tightly, his hands gripping onto the shirt, his whole body shaking.

“I trust you. I know you’re innocent,” Hakyeon says, taking his face in his hands. “Jaehwan, I’m so sorry, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t protect you.”

Jaehwan doesn’t say anything. He just shakes his head, tears streaming down his cheeks as he does. 

“It’s okay,” he forces out, his voice hoarse. “It’s okay, I’m just happy you’re here. I missed you so much.”

Hakyeon moves their faces closer, connecting their lips together in a short kiss. One they have not had a chance to have since that god awful day. He holds his lips there for longer, having missed this. Missed feeling Jaehwan against him, missed his plump lips and his sweet kisses. 

“I missed you too,” Hakyeon whispers as he lets him go. “I’m here now. And I’m not leaving you. Not now, not ever again … I love you.”

“I love you too,” Jaehwan says, smiling and reconnecting their lips, this time more passionate than before. 

How he has missed this, this entire feeling of love. Just pure love that radiates off Jaehwan towards him. He can ask questions later, Jaehwan can explain himself further later, but right now, he just wants to feel him, touch him and be with him. Not for one second, does he want to be separated again. Hakyeon drags him inside of the open room.

“Can you…?” Hakyeon asks, gripping onto his shirt.

“Yes,” Jaehwan says, nodding and pulling off the shirt, kicking off the shoes. Hakyeon does the same, going down on his knees on the futon, his fingers hocking onto the hem of his pants.

He looks past Jaehwan, into the open field.

“Should we close the doors?” he asks, looking up.

“Might not be necessary, no one ever crosses here.”

Hakyeon smiles and in one sweep motion pulls down Jaehwan’s pants and taking him into his mouth, Jaehwan letting out an exhausted and pleasuring moan, throwing his head back. His fingers dig into his hair, pulling and forcing him deeper. He continues sucking him off until Jaehwan forces him away and goes down on his knees. Hakyeon starts taking off his own pants, throwing them off to the side.

“We don’t have any protection,” Jaehwan says.

“As if we ever used any,” Hakyeon laughs, kissing him, wrapping his arms around his neck and forcing him down onto the futon. He can feel Jaehwan’s fingers softly moving down his skin, going further and further down till he reaches his hole, slowly letting a finger slide over it. Hakyeon moans into his mouth, gripping onto his arm.

Jaehwan breaks the kiss to move onto the rest of his skin, kissing his neck, his collarbone and taking his time. He slowly moves further down, making sure to cover each inch of his skin with kisses and touching. Hakyeon breathes heavily, his skin tingling and becoming increasingly hotter. 

Jaehwan leaves small kisses and bites on his inner thigh. Hakyeon moans, closing his eyes. He trusts Jaehwan when he says no one crosses this house, not holding back his moans when Jaehwan takes him in his mouth. He arches his back but is silenced by Jaehwan pushing his fingers into his mouth. He sucks on them, moving his tongue all around them as Jaehwan works his mouth around him, licking around his head and using his other hand to massage him. 

The fingers are removed and Jaehwan hurries to move a finger inside of him with ease, Hakyeon arching his back even more and gripping onto Jaehwan’s hair, pulling it and nearly screaming. His legs are shaking. When Jaehwan adds a second finger, he does scream, his eyes rolling into the back of his head.

He continues to pump his fingers in and out, stretching him while also sucking him off. He has never experienced this before, he is satisfied in ways he couldn’t imagine. Jaehwan stops, pulling out his fingers and moving up to kiss Hakyeon, pressing their bodies close together. He smiles into the kiss, forcing his hand in between them to give a few pumps to prep Jaehwan. Stroking the precum down and around.

The kiss becomes more aggressive, much deeper and passionate than normal. His tongue graces over Jaehwan’s bottom lip, impatiently and hungry. His teeth grip onto his lips, just slightly as he pulls back, Jaehwan moaning in response. 

He can’t wait anymore, all his patient is used up. Hakyeon swings them over so Jaehwan is laying on his back and he is sitting on top of him. Jaehwan’s eyes are large, shocked as his hands slowly find a place on his thighs. Placing his hands on either side of his head, Hakyeon leans forward to position himself better, feeling the tip right at the entrance, leaning down to bite his lips again, pulling harder this time. 

He leans back, not letting go of Jaehwan’s plump lip and it slides in, closing his eyes as it happens and suppressing a moan. Jaehwan’s hands tighten around his thighs, his fingers holding on tightly as he gasps both from the sudden movement and the pain from his lips. Hakyeon starts moving, moaning and groaning and leaning back to rest his hands on Jaehwan’s legs, supporting himself as he rides him. 

Jaehwan throws his head back, moaning loudly as well, pushing further up. He’s making sure it feels good for Jaehwan as well, with any other person, he would just focus on making himself cum, but he loves hearing Jaehwan moan. Love seeing him on edge and struggling. Hakyeon takes Jaehwan’s hand, leading it up, palm pressing against his skin. He leads it up to his stomach to his chest and up to his throat, wrapping Jaehwan’s hand around his throat.

Jaehwan seems to understand as he tightens his fingers around his throat, just enough to slightly hurt but not enough to cause any form of damage. Hakyeon’s eyes roll back and his moans become much louder and he starts moving fast, gripping onto Jaehwan’s wrist. Jaehwan’s other hand move from his waist, down to stroke him, forcing Hakyeon to stop for a few seconds to gather himself. He’s shaking and as his hand tightens both around him and his throat, with a loud scream, Hakyeon comes.

+++

He helped finish off Jaehwan, a simple handjob but he seemed to enjoy it with his loud moans into Hakyeon’s ear, burying his face in his neck and biting onto the skin to hold back the screams. 

Jaehwan made them a bath where they are both sitting in, the hot water system somehow working. He must have fixed it somehow when he arrived. Hakyeon sits with his back against Jaehwan’s chest, resting his head on his shoulder while he has his arms wrapped around him, near his waist. It’s a small traditional square bath, they can just both fit there. 

Jaehwan leaves small kisses around his forehead and on top of his head.

“I missed you,” he whispers, Hakyeon looking up at him.

“I missed you too … I’m thankful you’re innocent.”

“How did you figure it out?”

“My sisters, they figured it out. Found holes in Sunhee’s story, things that didn’t add up and provided a lot of proof that you were innocent. I convinced Kwangjo to tell where you ran away to, and then I came here. It’s probably been … soon twenty-four hours since I found out.”

There are a few seconds of silence in between them.

“Can I ask you something? And please be honest with me.”

Hakyeon moves a little bit away, the water slipping around the edge a little, twisting his back to turn towards Jaehwan. He looks sad, his eyes are droopy and large.

“I promise, I’ll be honest.” 

“Did you ever think I did it? Did you ever doubt me?”

He breathes in deeply. “I did. After the lie detector test and you said yes, I really thought you had done it. But why did you say yes? Did they blackmail you or something?”

Jaehwan shakes his head. “It’s a complicated thing that happened. They asked me if I had been in any way sexually involved with her. But, it wasn’t what everyone thinks. I didn’t do anything to her, she touched me.”

His brows draw together. “Touched you? How?”

“I’m just gonna go from the beginning. Sunhee came into my work area, I don’t remember exactly what she asked but she stayed for a few minutes. I did not think much of it, but after a bit, she asked me to stand up. I did and she went over to me and started … touching me through my pants. I completely froze but she continued, even forcing a kiss onto me. She stopped when she heard one of the managers coming. She also got angry that I was not ‘responding the way she wanted.’”

“Why didn’t you stop it? Why didn’t you yell for help or push her away or anything?”

He seems speechless, his face going a little pale. “It’s … complicated, and I wish I could answer that but… not now, I just … I couldn’t stop it.”

“But why not?”

His face seems to be going into some form of pain, as he looks down, lips becoming small. “I’m just ... used to that kind of treatment.”

“What? Being used sexually?”

“Hakyeon…” he says softly.

“How can you be used to that kind of treatment? Was that like a daily occurrence? Did it happen oft-”

“Hakyeon, please stop!” he yells, Hakyeon pulling himself back a little from the sudden outburst. He’s visibly shaking, clearly not comfortable with this. 

“I’m sorry,” Hakyeon whispers, moving closer and lifting his face. It’s full of shame. “I won’t ask anything more with that until you’re more comfortable with it.”

“Thank you,” he says quietly, just barely audible. 

“Can I ask two more questions?”

Being careful with what he says and do, he doesn’t want to upset him more than what he has already done. Jaehwan looks at him, dark eyes before nodding, looking down at the water again. 

“Do you know why Sunhee did it? And who helped you escape?”

“I do not know why Sunhee did it, I have no clue. And it was the inventor who helped me. He helped me escape when he saw that I was innocent. Apparently, they had told him to make sure I would be seen as guilty.”

“My god, Jaehwan. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” Hakyeon says, moving closer to him and placing his hands on his cheeks. “I’ll clear your name. I’ll make sure of it. You’re safe now, nothing is going to happen to you. No more hiding, no more lies.”

Jaehwan smiles sadly, looking at Hakyeon. “No more,” he says as a tear falls down his cheek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanted to post this so here it is. I also kinda didnt want to because I still feel like I suck at smut but I tried my best. There's not many chapters left of the story and I'm excited to see what you all think of the ending. 
> 
> I'm not sure when the next update will be, I'm not really able to write here (I'm at a hotel as I'm moving country) because the wifi is not very good but hopefully it wont take too long. Thank you for your patience! And thank you as always for reading and commenting, I truly appreciate it.


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A walk back in time

Hakyeon is sitting outside on the deck in front of the master bedroom. He’s sitting with a cup of herbal tea that Jaehwan brewed to him and is watching the farmers in the distance walking around with their large straw hats. It’s so peaceful. The sun rose about an hour ago, waking the both of them up from their deep slumber. It’s been so long since Hakyeon has slept together with Jaehwan, just feeling his warmth and comfort, his arms around him and listening to his calm and slow breathing. It’s a familiar feeling, a lovely comfort making him feel at home. 

The house is on a small hill, overlooking the farms. Jaehwan comes up the hill with a basket filled with food, placing it in the courtyard before coming over to sit next to Hakyeon, sitting close.

“I’m surprised the house is in so well condition from the war. I thought this area was horribly hit,” Hakyeon says.

“It was, but mainly in the city. The farms weren’t hit due to food stocking. But we were still evacuated from here and moved to somewhere else.”

“Do you remember where?”

He shakes his head. “No, but it was in a warehouse. I remember nurses and volunteers handing out blankets and giving us food. We stayed there for a few days before soldiers stormed that part of the city. It was chaos. They prioritized children in the escape, so my brothers and I got out but our parents didn’t.”

Jaehwan has never spoken much of the wartime. How he survived or how he lost his family. And Hakyeon has never asked, he doesn’t want to push it if he doesn’t want to speak. In the Higher Zone, no one speaks of it. It is barely even taught in schools at this point because it was so recent and the times were so dark. No one wanted to acknowledge it had happened, they all just wished to forget.

“How did you lose your brothers then?”

“The helpers split up us in small groups of five to make it easier to travel with us and so if something happens, we don’t all die. My brothers and I were all placed in different groups. We were all supposed to meet at the same place … my brothers’ groups never showed up.”

“How old were you?”

“Maybe, ten years old.”

Such a young age. Hakyeon remembers his struggle to accept his brother’s death. When they received the letter that he had died, he remembers coming home with his sisters from school, opening the door to find their mother screaming and crying on her knees in the tea room. He remembers crying and sleeping in his brother’s room, refusing to leave it. No one mentioned his name in the household for months, the days after his funeral was quiet and his mother did not leave the bed for multiple days. 

The only thing that kept him sane was his sisters, Haewon making sure that they talked about things and made sure Hakyeon didn’t feel alone. She would hold him and let him cry in her arms during the nights where he couldn’t sleep. 

But Jaehwan was alone. And he had lost his entire family. Kwangjo didn’t come into his life until a year before he started working at the factories. He lived in the underground station for one and a half years. Jaehwan suddenly puts his hand on his cheek, looking worriedly at him.

“Why are you crying?”

He didn’t realize he was crying. He dries his eyes with the end of his sleeve, looking down at his cup of tea.

“Just … sad, that you had to live through that.”

Jaehwan moves behind Hakyeon, placing himself so Hakyeon is sitting in between his legs, wrapping his arms around his waist, softly kissing his ear.

“It’s okay, I survived it. I’m happy now.”

“You’re happy? How can you be happy?”

Jaehwan smiles, putting his chin on his shoulder.

“I’m home, with you. I couldn’t ask for anything more than this … I love you,” he whispers at last.

Hakyeon smiles sadly, his hand laying on top of Jaehwan’s. “I love you too, and I’m happy to be here.”

They sit in silence, Jaehwan holding around Hakyeon, softly humming to himself. The farmers in the distance are dragging along the carriers filled to the top with wheat, fruits and all kind of forms of vegetables. This is where a lot of the food imported to the district he is located in. They depend on them a lot, to produce and grow enough food. 

“What did your parents do before the war?”

“My mom worked at the farm over there,” he says pointing to the farm right down the hill. “Helping in the field with picking fruits, while my dad worked at the train station in the city. He would bike in every morning.”

The train station is rather far away, but it must have been the only option for them. 

“What about you? What did you do normally?”

“I went to school with my brothers, not too far from here. I wonder if it’s still there.”

“Why don’t we go look?” Hakyeon asks, standing up. “I wanna see where you grew up, I feel like I barely know anything about your past.”

He smiles up to him. “It wasn’t as exciting as yours, not as glamorous.”

“I’m done with glamorous, I’m done with my life in that environment. Let me see.”

Jaehwan sighs, standing up and looking out towards the city. “Let’s see if I can even remember the way there. It’s been so long.”

Hakyeon follows Jaehwan down the hill and onto the dirt road, linking their arms together as they head in towards the city. He can hear a loud crowd in the distance where the marketplace is, where Jaehwan went earlier to get food while Hakyeon was still resting on the futon. It was his first time ever sleeping on one. His back hurts a little bit and it took him forever to fall asleep but he is surprised by how deeply he was sleeping, and how long. 

It’s windy today, and the days are becoming much colder. He stays close to Jaehwan as they enter the city further. This part of the city is not as in bad condition as the Red Zone near them, where Jaehwan worked. The houses are not as badly build, none of them are in any specific good condition but these houses here seem to at least be built of a stronger material. Jaehwan suddenly comes to a halt, looking at a ruined building.

It’s a large long building, two floors and is located on a small hill with a forest in the back. Most windows are broken, the concrete walls are darkened with black smudges running down the sides and a clock hanging over the main door.

“This is your school?”

“Yeah ...” he says, just staring at the ruined building. He starts walking towards the stairs, ascending them, Hakyeon going after him. Inside is the halls just as dirty. Leaves, dust, shards of glass and so much more laying on the floor, even a few walls have been torn down. 

Jaehwan wonders into a classroom. All the chairs and tables are still there, but they are slowly decaying, all the paper has fallen to the floor.

“Seems like no one has been here for a long time,” Jaehwan says. “Guess when the war began it closed… There were no kids for them to teach.”

“I guess not. Was this your classroom?”

“Yeah, I sat here, in the middle. We sat based on how well we excelled in class. The worst students in the back and the best at the front. I was just a little bit above the average.”

“That’s impressive. What kind of classes did you have?”

“Just the bare essentials. Korean, mathematics, social studies to help us prepare for whatever lives we would end up having. Most of us knew we were all going to end up being farmers anyway or take whatever work our parents had.”

Hakyeon steps over to him, placing his chin on his shoulder and staring up at the blackboard.

“What did you want to become?”

Jaehwan sighs. “I wanted to do so much, but I guess … drawing mainly. It calms me down and helped me cope a lot right after the war when I was alone in the station. I would find charcoal and draw on the ground, or use old napkins people threw out in bins … what about you?”

Hakyeon hymns, looking dazed at him. “Pardon?”

“What did you want to become if your parents didn’t own a factory?”

“Hm, I’m not sure. I’ve always enjoyed languages, so many something to do with that. Maybe a translator, I’m not sure.”

“I wonder how different my life would be if the war had not happened, or at least not had such a large effect.”

“Probably very different. Maybe have stayed here, never moved into the city.”

“I would have been a farmer. Would you have fallen in love with a farmer boy?” Jaehwan asks, teasingly.

“Hm … might be a little too dirty for me.”

“And I wasn’t dirty when working in the factory?”

“Oh, you were. I was desperately trying to not breathe in through my nose when we walked together sometimes.”

He steps away, making a dramatic gasp. “How rude. My heart is broken now.”

Hakyeon takes his hands, stepping closer to plant a soft kiss on his cheek, his nose, and his lips.

“Did that fix it?” he asks, pressing his fingers on Jaehwan’s chest where his heart is.

A small shy smile spreads across his lips and a slight red tint on his cheeks. He nods, looking down. Hakyeon lifts his face, enjoying the silence around them. The quietness and the soft sound of the trees’ leaves blowing in the wind.

“I love you,” Hakyeon says.

“I love you too,” Jaehwan says. “Should we head back to the house?”

“Sounds like a good idea.”

Jaehwan takes his hand and they walk outside from the abandoned school building. Outside, the sky has become cloudier, the clouds hanging above them a much darker shade. They look heavy. The birds are also flying low to the ground.

“I think it’s going to start raining soon,” Hakyeon says.

“Then we better hurry back.”

Hakyeon takes one last look back at the building, trying to imagine how it looked like before the war, how pretty it must have looked, all the children coming in and out. Now it’s empty and dark. 

They had to run up the hill when the rain started. It wasn’t too much at the beginning but as it continued, it got heavier and stronger. It was painful when a raindrop hit them. Hakyeon is sitting inside of the master room, looking out of the open doors, staring at the rain and see the fields slowly be filled with the water. Jaehwan comes inside the room, sitting down next to Hakyeon and placing down a tray with two cups of tea and two bowls filled with dried pollack soup.

“I hope it tastes good. I haven’t made it in a long time.”

“Did Kwangjo teach you how to cook?” Hakyeon asks, taking a small sip of the tea.

“His wife did. They allowed me to use their kitchen to make food for myself sometimes, so she taught me a lot of things.”

The soup is warm, the bowl too hot to touch. It’s been long since he has had anything like this. He never really had to cook for himself, they had servants to do everything for them. If he was hungry he just asked them to make him a meal. He did cook some things for himself after he moved out but he is definitely not a specialist.

They eat in silence, looking and listening to the rain. It is strangely therapeutic. Hakyeon loves being here, being away from the city, the responsibilities of his social standards and his family. He loves being with Jaehwan, finally being together again and knowing the truth - or at least some of the truth. Why Sunhee did it is still unknown and what Jaehwan meant by he is used to that kind of treatment. He has been trying to ignore the topic and not speak of it, for the sake of Jaehwan, but at some point, they will have to talk about it. They can’t ignore it forever. They can’t hide here forever, no matter how much he wishes they could.

“What are we going to do now?” Hakyeon asks, putting down the bowl of soup.

“What do you mean?”

“Where do we go from here? We can’t stay here forever, we have to go back at some point and clear your name.”

“No one is going to believe me, even with your and your sister’s word, no one will believe that I am innocent.”

“We won’t know until we try.”

“I don’t wanna go back. I’m finally home, where I’ve always wanted to return to. No one is going to find me here, so why go back where I will be immediately thrown in prison?”

“Because you can’t hide from it. I don’t want to go back either, but Jaehwan, how are you going to earn money? How are you going to live? Right now, you're a wanted criminal, you won't be able to live properly.”

“I am not going back,” he says his voice hoarse. “I’m not going back to the factory, to those people and those managers, I am not going back.”

Hakyeon stares at teary-eyed Jaehwan, looking down at his soup and tensing the muscles in his face, to prevent himself from crying. 

“Are you scared of the punishment you’re going to get? Or are you scared of going back to the factory?”

“I don’t want to go back to that factory ever again. It’s one of the ways they punish criminals, send them to the worst factories in the Red Zone. I don’t want to work there.”

“Have you been there before?”

“It was where I first started working before I was transferred to the current factory.”

“What happened at that factory?”

A few tears roll down Jaehwan’s cheek.

“Jaehwan, what happened at those factories? Please, no more lies, no more secrets.”

His lips start trembling a little bit, his face slowly turning towards Hakyeon. Thunder starts raging in the back as the rain gets stronger and hail falls down from the sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to update because I decided why not. Thought it was a good time for it anyway. I have no clue when the next one will be up as I actually have to write chapter 24 before I can allow myself to post chapter 23 and I dont have much time atm but I will try my best! 
> 
> A cute chapter of Hakyeon and Jaehwan because ah even I have missed them together. Writing their interactions are always so endearing. I hope you enjoy it and prepare yourself for the next chapter! Kudos and comments are always appreciated ♥️


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth. And only the truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: lots of talk of sexual abuse so if you're not comfortable with that, please skip this chapter and I'll shortly explain at the end what he told

Jaehwan hasn’t said anything yet. He’s just been silently staring down at the soup. It’s quiet apart from the rain on the roof, the ground right outside for them, and the thunder in the far background. He suddenly takes a deep sigh, drying off the tears on his cheeks and neck before looking out.

“The Pai family doesn’t exactly have good working conditions in their factories. The machines we use are outdated, they use children as young as nine years old to crawl in under machines to fix them, our payment is horrible and our facilities are probably breaking all the rules in the book. They don’t like spending money on reassuring proper conditions to work in. We even have to pay for our own protection, everything I wear I have bought, in the beginning I had nothing. We are lucky if we get gloves when working.”

Hakyeon knew that the factories were not in as proper conditions as his family’s, but forcing the workers to pay for their own protection gear is horrifying. And children working in the factories that are under fifteen is not legal. Jaehwan started when he was fourteen … how did he not realise?

“Is that why you refuse to go back?”

“A small part of it, but because they don’t care about the safety of the workers or any of the rules, a lot of things are looked over. How the managers treat us and how we treat each other. The first place I worked, the factory in the worst conditions, Owlex Pai 1, the managers treated us horribly.”

“How so? Did they hit you?”

Jaehwan is speaking quietly and slowly, taking his time as if he doesn’t want to remember. 

“No … The managers never really had a chance to … get off as the factory was located in a secluded area so … they used us, the workers. Forced us to do it to them.” Hakyeon feel his heart jump up into his throat. “It wasn’t a lot, a handjob, a blowjob sometimes on them. Each manager had favorites. I was one’s favorite. I remember when he forced me to for the first time, took me into his office during the long break and said he would give me an extra payment if I jerked him off … I didn’t want to in the beginning but he forced me to. He also quite enjoyed … touching me. It was maybe three months after I started working there.”

He feels a sharp pain in his chest, his fingers clutching onto his clothing, a spark of anger filling him. 

“I remember hiding under the stairs after it happened first time, crying. An older worker came and found me, helped me clean my hand and said it was something I had to get used to, that it was how things worked there. I got used to the treatment, being used and touched. It became a daily thing, so it just became normalized to me. It was also how I got my nickname, remember the name some workers called me ‘pretty boy’? It was what the manager called me because he thought I looked pretty after he finished with me.”

“But is it still happening?” Hakyeon asks with a hoarse voice, not realising how much its shaking.

“No, it stopped when I was transferred to the current factory. There, the managers don’t do it when there is prostitution right outside.”

“Why didn’t you refuse?”

Hakyeon realise the stupidity of that question immediately after he asks it. Jaehwan looks at him, red eyes and filled with tears. His face is pale and he looks broken in every single way. 

“I tried,” he says, tears drops starting to fall down. “I refused once, I didn’t want to do it anymore so I left. The next day, the manager sent me down in the basement. You know what’s down there? The sewer canal for the entire red zone, which has to be cleaned. It’s so dirty down there, most workers are either hospitalized or dead after two months of working. I worked there for a week before begging the manager to forgive me ... I saw disturbing things down there, dead animals, corpses. I had to remove a dead child,” he starts sobbing loudly. 

Hakyeon immediately moves over to comfort him, holding him in close as Jaehwan buries his face in his neck, crying and shaking. Hakyeon takes the blanket from the floor, putting it around the both of them, slowly rocking Jaehwan back and forth. He’s trying his best not to cry as well. It hurts him. He understands why Jaehwan didn’t push Sunhee away, he is used to that kind of treatment and knows that if he doesn’t just accept it, he will be punished. But now he’s being punished again. For something he can’t control. No matter what happened or will happen, he will be punished. 

Jaehwan is not safe here. He has been through enough already. It's not safe here.

“I’m gonna get us away from here, nothing more will happen to you, I promise you,” Hakyeon whispers to him when Jaehwan stops crying. He’s holding on tight, shaking and quiet. “You’re safe now. I promise, nothing is ever going to happen to you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So for the ones that might have skipped this chapter, Jaehwan at the very first factory he worked at, he was abused by the manager - many workers were and it didnt stop until he was transferred when he was 20. If he refused, he would have to clean the sewer system of the factory and entire red zone where all kinds of disgusting diseases and things where. Abuse and being touched just became normal to Jaehwan; why he didnt push away Sunhee because his mind just immediately went to "if I refuse, I'll be punished" I think that explains all, I hope I did it well enough.
> 
> Thank you as always for reading, I really appreciate it! Only like 2-3 chapters left!


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The betrayal of a best friend

The bank of the town is large. It’s the main bank and it’s where everyone from the Higher Class keeps their money. There is only one bank chain in the entire country, some have different names but they are all under the same monopoly. Hakyeon walks up to the stairs, one of the doormen opening the door for him. 

Jaehwan and he returned home yesterday late evening, Haewon picking them up and taking them back to his apartment. That’s where he can keep Jaehwan safe for now. He also discussed his plan with Haewon. Withdrawl all of his money from the bank and leave Korea, travel to Chongqing in China. There is some Japanese communities there, a place where Hakyeon would be able to blend in just fine. Haewon did not enjoy that plan. She said it was too much and too risky.

He also told her about the plan he did not tell Jaehwan yet. His plan of ruining the Pai family’s factories. He told her a vague retelling of what Jaehwan had told him, all the rules they were breaking and much more. He plans to do a survey amongst all the workers, ask them questions about their work experience and use that as evidence against them. Haewon was shocked but she was willing to help him in that plan. She called her husband and said she would have to stay a little bit longer in Korea.

He walks up to the desk where a woman is sitting behind glass and gold bars, an opening at the bottom. She smiles but as her eyes fall upon him, it fades for a short second, before coming back even more forced than before. 

“How can I help you?”

“I would like to close my bank account, withdrawing all of the money on my accounts.”

He has more than enough for them to get a proper apartment in Chongqing. It won’t be Higher Class but will most likely be an upper-middle-class apartment. It will do for them, they don’t need anything big or fancy. 

“Are you sure, sir? You will lose many advantages of doing this, including the interest rate of 7%.”

“I’m sure.”

“May I ask why?” 

She starts doing some paperwork, stamping on a piece of paper, slowly putting it up on the desk and looking curiously at Hakyeon.

“I will be moving, so I will no longer need my account here.”

She doesn’t say anything, she just slowly hands over the paper to Hakyeon, giving him a pen, her face telling more than enough already. She knows him somehow. In some way, she can recognize him and she is either panicking over this sudden news or desperate to tell someone; gossip. 

“Please fill this out and return it to here afterward.”

He takes it, mumbling a small thank you, walking over to one of the tall tables near a pillar. He can still see over towards the woman at the desk, waving over the coworker sitting next to her and whispering something in her ear. Based on the reactions and the subtle side glances over towards him, they are talking about him. How do they know him? He looks up around him, recognizing a few faces from parties or formal events. They are all avoiding him, he is standing alone at the table by the pillar, people keeping their distance from him. 

Could it be?

His fingers grip tightly onto the pen as the fills in the paper, before he hurries over to hand it back. The woman takes it and hands him an envelope filled with notes. He doesn’t even say thank you or anything, he doesn’t show any form of respects as he takes it and leaves in a hurry. He can feel people looking at him in the back, judging him. Outside, there are too many for anyone to notice him. A few of the people who walk towards him does make an effort in walking around him, looking after him and keeping a distance.

A sense of anger starts fueling him from the inside. The bells of a tram catch his attention as it comes to a halt a little further ahead. It’s going to the Midway-zone. He runs over to jump on, paying pocket change on the counter for a ticket and standing at the very back in a corner. Jaehwan will have to wait a little longer for him to return home. He is safe in the apartment anyway. No one knows he is there and as long as he does not make any signs of being there, he should be safe.

The tram ride is fifteen minutes long. He knows exactly where he is going and knows that the tram will stop close by. There is a clear difference between the Higher-zone and the Midway-zone. The midway does not have as beautiful buildings. While this area is better than others, their houses are still made of less fine material, there is less effort in keeping the area clean. The tram comes to a halt and Hakyeon jumps off at the back end, walking towards the apartment building, not even bothering to ring the bell as he walks up the stairs.

He knows where Jaeho hides his extra keys, inside a small hole in the wall hidden behind the apartment number. Before going inside, Hakyeon makes sure to hide the envelope with money in one of his inner pockets, knowing that Jaeho would do anything to get his hands on them. The apartment looks the same as when he last saw it over six months ago now. Somewhat dirty and rather dark with old furniture. 

“I can call the police on you for trespassing,” Jaeho says as he comes inside the room from the bedroom, still in his sleeping attire.

“I have paid so much for this apartment, I might as well be the one renting it. I see you finally told about me.”

“I did. You said you weren’t going to give me money so, I told. Spread surprisingly fast, heard your parents haven’t gone to the club since it happened. Hell, even my parents refuse to talk to them because of you.”

“I hope that makes you happy. Seeing my family fall to pieces and their reputation ruined, me being seen as disgusting. I hope you got what you wanted. But you’re still moneyless, you’re addicted to gambling, you doing this has helped you in no way-”

“I don’t need your money, I was gonna tell even if you paid me, I was just reaching for extra cash.”

Hakyeon freezes slightly. Extra cash. “Who is paying you?”

Jaeho seems to become speechless, his lips becoming small and eyes wide. He isn’t answering. Hakyeon rushes forward, grabbing onto his shirt and slamming him against the nearest wall.

“Who the fucked has paid you to do this? Who? Was it Sunhee, did she pay you?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” he asks, smiling sadistically. 

“If you don’t tell me right now, I’ll go to the police and report you for all the illegal shit you have done. Gambling, bought prostitutes, buying and selling of drugs, tax evasion, the list goes on. And I have proof of it too because I was the only who had to clean up after you.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Try me. You helped ruin my life and the life of the person I love, I have no problem ruining yours as well.”

Jaeho doesn’t answer. He keeps quiet, staring at Hakyeon. 

“Why did you do it? Why did you try and ruin my life? What have I done for my best friend to hate me all of a sudden?”

“You’re incredible dumb you know. You were always the golden boy, the perfect student, everyone loved you. There never seemed to be any faults about you, and I was never second best or third best, I was always just average compared to you. My parents always mentioned you when I had an accomplishment. ‘Oh, you got into an honors class? Well, Hakyeon got in two years ago’ ‘You have PTSD from the bombings of the war? Think of poor Hakyeon, he lost his brother, you got lucky’.”

Hakyeon completely lets go of Jaeho, his hands falling lifeless at his side.

“So when I was told you were with a factory worker, my first reaction was happiness. Not because I was happy for you, but because I was finally happy that you had faults and it would leave a strain on you. I wanted it to go wrong. I knew I would finally be better than you. That’s why I did it, and call me an asshole all you want but I finally have what I wished for my entire fucking life.”

“So it has to go over my life? I didn’t know this, I never knew any of this yet I am the bad buy here?”

“If you failed, they would finally be happy about me.”

Hakyeon stares at him in shock, slowly shaking his head in disbelief. Has there ever been a moment where Jaeho enjoyed being his friend? Where there hasn’t been this negative connotation towards him? He isn’t even sure how to respond. He just needs to know one last thing.

“… how did you figure out about Jaehwan and me?”

“I’m not gonna tell you.”

Hakyeon gathers the last of his pride and gets down on his knees, gripping Jaeho’s hands, realizing how much he is tensing up.

“Please, I beg you. I need to know. I am gonna be out of your life in a few days when I leave, just please tell me.”

“Where are you leaving for?”

His voice changed. It became a lot softer and quiet.

“China. Then I’ll be gone forever, you don’t have to deal with me anymore, please, just tell me.”

He isn’t even looking at Hakyeon anymore. He is just looking emptily out in the apartment. Hakyeon tightens his grip around his hands, shaking and desperate at this point.

“I saw, you and Jaehwan together in the lounge. I was looking for you because I wanted to apologize. I saw Sunhee standing by the arc into the lounge and went up to see if she knew where you were. She stopped me and I saw the two of you. Afterward, she dragged me away and told me about her plan. She wanted to ruin your relationship, my job was to distract you, keep you busy so you wouldn’t notice anything. I knew Jaehwan was innocent because she told me he refused to react or respond, but that she would still do it.” 

Hakyeon sighs out heavily as he stands up again, giving a small nod and mumbling a thank you to Jaeho before turning to leave. He got what he needed. A confirmation that Sunhee was the one who caused all of this. Jaeho has lied in the past, but he can tell this was the truth. Finally the truth he has been waiting for. He can’t stay out any longer. He has everything he needs, and tomorrow he will go to the factory together with his sisters and make sure the Pai family suffers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this. I am slowly starting to wrap up things because if you didn't notice, I finally put the number of chapters which will be published. 27 chapters in total, meaning there are 3 chapters left. It feels weird to soon have to say goodbye to this story but it's also gonna be exciting to start on something new I have planned. 
> 
> That was pretty much what I wanted to say, again I hope you enjoyed. I appreciate the comments as always, thank you very much <3


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How does one forgive when no punishment has been served for the criminal? How does one forget of the past trauma and abuse?

“Do you remember his name?” Hakyeon asks Jaehwan slowly moving his fingers through his hair. 

They are both laying in his bed, inside of the apartment, Jaehwan cuddling close into Hakyeon’s chest and neck.

“Who’s name?”

“The name of the manager who …”

He nods. “His last name was Zhang, why? What are you planning?”

“Might just have a small talk to him today when I go to the factory.”

Jaehwan already knows of the plan. He didn’t like it but he knew it would help the others that were there, the young children who might still be abused.

“Don’t do anything irrational, it’s not going to be worth it.”

“I won’t.”

Jaehwan looks at him with skepticism as he moves his hand down his chest. “You’re very tense.”

He moves so his lips press against his neck, kissing it and sucking on the skin, moving up to kiss his ears as well. Jaehwan’s hand move underneath the covers and in under Hakyeon’s boxers, softly rubbing him. Hakyeon lets out a few moans but it hurts. Not physically; mentally. He can’t enjoy it. He closes his eyes, leaning his head further back, trying to ignore the mental images that fill his brain. 

Jaehwan suddenly moves down, pushing the covers away and pulling down Hakyeon’s boxers, slowly taking him in his mouth, licking around him and his tongue gliding over the tip. He moves his face, trying to hide the grimace he is making, trying to hide the obvious discomfort he is in. He isn’t turned on, this isn’t helping him relax, it’s only making him tenser. He can’t even seem to get hard. He closes his eyes and the image only becomes clearer.

“Jaehwan, stop, please stop.” 

Jaehwan moves away, sitting up while Hakyeon pulls up his boxers, covering his face.

“I’m sorry, I can’t, I just …” he groans as he moves his fingers through his hair in annoyance. “I just keep … seeing you and … my mind just keeps picturing it.”

“You find me disgusting, don’t you?”

Hakyeon immediately sits up, shaking his head. Jaehwan looks at him with shame in his eyes. He moves closer to him, putting his face in his hands.

“No, God no, please don’t ever think that. I would never find you disgusting-”

“It’s okay, I would be surprised if you didn’t. It’s understandable considering the situation.”

“Jaehwan, please listen to me. I don’t find you gross and disgusting or anything like that. I love you, but I just can’t take what that manager did to you. I can’t have it that he is not punished and … and I just need some time for this.”

He leans in to kiss his lips, a soft kiss, pressing their foreheads together afterward.

“I love you,” Hakyeon whispers to him.

“I love you too.” 

He said it quietly, and he can see in his face that he is still doubting his words. 

They stay like this, Hakyeon holding onto Jaehwan. He loves him so dearly, and he hopes he can provide some form of closure for Jaehwan. Some form of satisfaction in finally knowing the person who brought him hell for many years is finally being punished. After a bit, it knocks on the door to the apartment, Hakyeon planting one last kiss on his forehead.

“Go take a shower while I talk to my sisters.”

He nods, standing up and heading for the bathroom, Hakyeon crawling off the bed and over to open for Haewon and Hayoon. Hayoon is carrying a bag with a lot of papers, setting them on the living room table.

“Who will speak to who at the factory?”

“Hakyeon will survey the factory workers, I will speak to the managers and you speak to the outsiders of the factory, so delivery people or any business folks that might be there,” Haewon says. 

“How long do we expect this to take?”

She shrugs. “Maybe a few hours, depending on how willing the managers are to speak. If they did all of what you said, I doubt they are exactly open to the questions, but it’s worth a shot.”

“With enough factory workers and their statements, it should not matter. As long as we have enough proof,” Hayoon says. “We also need to get evidence of child workers currently working there.”

“Shouldn’t be too hard,” Hakyeon says. “Have you gotten in contact with that family in Chongqing?”

Hayoon nods. “Yes, family Hu. They are willing to help you and Jaehwan, you can stay in their hotel, but only free for the first month, afterward you have to pay for the room.”

Hakyeon nods. That is only fair, he couldn't expect them to just hand a free high-class hotel room to them for free. Even letting them stay a month for free is shocking. He will have to deeply thank the family. Now he knows they are not going to be living in the streets. 

“Go get dressed and let us leave,” Haewon says to Hakyeon. He nods, leaving into the bedroom, Jaehwan already there, changing into his clothing.

“Are you leaving now?”

“Yeah, you just stay here. I will be back in a few hours.”

“Okay,” he says, trailing off at the end. Hakyeon kisses his cheek as he changes before leaving with his sisters. He is aware that Jaehwan hates being stuck in the apartment.

He used to be a packed schedule. There was always something for him to do at the factory, he rarely ever had free time for himself, now he does and he can’t do any of the things he wishes to. He’s stuck in an apartment where he can barely do anything. He can’t read any of the books here, he can’t even go out in the park. He is just in a cage waiting to be let out again. Hakyeon feels guilty but it’s for his safety and soon, it won’t be like that anymore.

They reach the factory, stepping out of the car and going towards it. Hakyeon looks up at the factory, where Jaehwan worked for the first many years of his life after the war. It’s old and worn down, no windows and the chimneys are outdated, rats running around and black water right by the factory. Jaehwan wasn’t exaggerating when he said this factory was horrible.

There are already two managers outside, smoking. When they see them approach, they immediately throw the cigarettes and crushes them on the ground, pretending it never happened. Haewon steps forward towards them, greeting them with a small head nod.

“We are here to do a little bit of a search. It’s not much, just a simple survey for both managers and workers if that would be possible.” 

“And what is this for?” one of them asks.

“Since we worked with the Pai family factories, we just have a survey for people to fill out on the experience. It’s something the chairman asked for, for improvements in the next collaboration.”

They look skeptically at Haewon before nodding and leading them all inside. Inside the factory is even worse. Looking at some of the workers, some are not even wearing protection. Hayoon let out a small gasp when she sees it, all the machinery is outdated, there is exposed areas everywhere, materials and resources that have not been properly distributed around in the factory. But he feels his heart stop when he spots a child, on maybe the age of fourteen or so crawling out from under the conveyor belt. They all sent each other a look.

This has to succeed.

They gave Hakyeon a small meeting room where different groups of fifteen workers come in at the time to fill out the survey. He has to read out the questions for them, the majority of them can’t read. The first couple of questions are relatively normal - did you overwork for the blimp project? If yes, were you paid extra? questions such as those but afterward came questions such as “How old were you when you started working?” “are the working conditions meeting what is allowed?” and of course the last dreaded question “have you had to perform any sexual acts to any of the managers of the factory?”

He could see that all groups had the same reaction to that last question; confusion, and fear. Some looked at each other, unsure of what to answer. It came to a habit for him to inform at the beginning of every survey that it would be anonymous. As the last group exits, he takes the many papers, going over to sit down at the table.

He doesn’t care as much for the first many questions, mainly the last ones. A lot of different ages when they started. Some say 12, 13, 15, while others are in the age where it is legal. His eyes fall to the last question in all of the papers. His handshakes a little as he turns the pages for each survey, seeing what everyone answered, even some of the child workers. A larger majority have said yes. It’s still happening. 

He gathers the papers in a hurry, turns them upside down to make the blank page face up and lean back in the chair, trying to stomach it all. He feels gross, disgusting and utterly ashamed. These monsters here are using their power to their advantage. The Pai family is using their power and money, they do not care about what is happening here. He feels like throwing up. He’s suddenly happy he didn’t eat anything all day, else he is scared he would have. A knock on the door and another manager comes in.

“Done?”

“Yeah, done,” Hakyeon says, standing up and gathering all the papers, putting them in the bag. He is about to leave to find Haewon and Hayoon when an idea comes into his mind. He turns towards the manager again. “Do you happen to know if Manager Zhang still works here?”

“Yeah, he does.”

“Where? I have a question for him.”

“Down the hall, up to the stairs to the sixth floor and then it should be office 584.”

“Thank you,” Hakyeon says, walking towards there.

The entire way there, he wonders what he would even do. What he would say? How will he react when he sees the man who has hurt and abused Jaehwan? What does the man even look like? He has a Chinese sounding name, maybe he is a descendant from there. A lot of Chinese business families came to Korea after the country unified, despite still the unbalanced relationship between the two countries. 

At last, he stands in front of the door into the office. Was this also his office when Jaehwan worked here? Did he bring him here? Who else has he brought in there?

Hakyeon takes a deep breath, shoving the thoughts out of his head, as he lifts his hand to knock. An old voice responds, telling him to enter. Upon entering, his eyes fall on a sixty-something-year-old man.

“Are you manager Zhang?”

“Yes, who are you?”

How unformal, but he should not be surprised.

“Cha Hakyeon, my father owns the Cha Factories.”

“Ah, what can I help you with?”

“I was just wondering,” he says, stepping inside and closing the door. “If you happened to know of a worker? He used to work here but he was transferred to a different factory a few years back.”

“I’m sorry but you have to be more specific. You have the name of this worker?”

“Lee Jaehwan.”

Seemingly a dark shadow falls over the man’s face and a small hint of a smile.

“Yes, he worked here. Why? Is it regarding the news of his arrest?”

Hakyeon nods, scared of what will come out if he opens his mouth. The man stands up, going over to the cupboard and taking out a huge old book.

“He worked here for a long time. Was a good boy, was always very obedient, rarely ever declined anything. Surprised he would use force on anyone, in that way. I always remember him as very gentle and calm.”

“It is horrible isn’t it?”

“Very much so.” the book is opened up on the page with Jaehwan’s records. There is a picture from when he started working when he was fourteen years old. Hollow cheeks and flat laying hair. “It’s a shame he had to transfer. He was my favorite, such a good obedient young boy.”

An image forms inside of Hakyeon’s head. His fist connecting with the manager’s face, the pain in his eyes, the confusing as well. How satisfying it would feel to hurt him. He can feel his hand turn into a fist and he can already know the feeling of hitting him. He has never done it before, but there is a first time for everything. If he does it fast and hard enough, he can leave before the manager even notice it or gather himself to hunt him down. It’s all planned out in his head and he knows that it would feel good to him. 

“Is there anything else I can help you with?” the manager asks.

Don’t do anything irrational

Jaehwan’s voice inside of his head fills his mind. His fist unfolds again. He can’t make himself do that, Jaehwan’s words filling his mind too much. Despite how much he wishes he could, he just can’t. Even if he didn’t tell Jaehwan, he knows it’s something he wouldn’t want and Hakyeon doesn’t want to lie to him. Instead, he stares at the manager. Shaking his head.

“No … but there is something I can maybe help you with.” He steps forward. He won’t inflict physical pain on the manager. “I know what you did to Jaehwan, I know all the disgusting things you did to him when he was a child.” The manager’s face sinks in, his eyes widen in fear. “You’re shameful, a disgusting creature who forced himself onto a fifteen-year-old. I imagine you sleep soundlessly at night, knowing what you did. You’re probably proud, aren’t you? I can imagine you’re still doing it ... I suggest you go and confess before this day is over or I will personally make sure the police will come and arrest you.” 

The manager shakes his head. “They won’t believe you.”

“They will, and you know they will. Who do you think they will believe? Me, a man of high social class with a clean record or a man like you with multiple black marks in his criminal record? I will make sure you rot in a sad lonely dark cell, filled with rats till the day you die.”

With those last words, he leaves. Hakyeon could hit him, he would lash out and just completely break that man for what he did, but it’s not in his place to do so. If anyone should do it, it would have to be Jaehwan. But that should not stop Hakyeon from warning the man.

 

He waits for his sisters to finish up before returning home to the apartment. As he enters, he sees Jaehwan sleeping softly on the couch, hugging one of the pillows closely. Hakyeon carefully takes off his shoes, quietly listing over the wooden floor. He looks so innocent, so soft and fragile as if he will break at the smallest hit.

Hakyeon sits down on the floor, taking off his jacket. They are leaving tomorrow evening if the police refuse to look at the evidence once again. Hakyeon is already preparing for them not to. Packing down clothing and other essentials. Most of it they will be able to buy in China.

It’s going to be a very long journey, will take them approximately two days to get to Chongqing if everything goes according to the plan. From Seoul to Pyongyang. From Pyongyang to Beijing. And then from Beijing to Chongqing. How he wishes there was an easier method but this is the only thing they can do. He wishes he didn’t even have to do this but there is no other choice. It’s the only way Jaehwan can be safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be up next week. I hope you enjoyed this one.


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hakyeon confronts Sunhee

Jaehwan and Hakyeon are walking inside of the Red Zone, one last time. A chance for Jaehwan to speak to Kwangjo and possible say goodbye to him. There will most likely be long before they will see each other again. 

His sisters are at the police station, showing them the evidence for Jaehwan’s support, hoping that they will accept it and take up the case again. If they do, they can push back the travel to a later date, giving them more time and Jaehwan more air to breathe. He wanted to get out of the apartment, Hakyeon could feel it on him, but he never said anything. When Hakyeon suggested going to Kwangjo, his eyes lit up.

They enter the bar. It’s empty. It’s slowly moving to late afternoon, most people are out working or taking care of their children. Jaehwan looks around as if the bar is foreign to him as if he has entered a new environment where he needs to be ready to flee. He has been like this for the entire morning since they left the apartment. He was paranoid about being seen, so was Hakyeon but he knew they would be safe for now. 

“Jaehwan, oh my god, Jaehwan,” Kwangjo says, coming out from the back of the bar kitchen. 

Jaehwan walks to him, embracing each other, Kwangjo holding on tight.

“My boy, you’re finally here. Come, sit down, just for a bit. Do you want anything?”

He asks only Jaehwan, ignoring Hakyeon’s presence, even when he goes over to sit next to Jaehwan at the bar. Kwangjo hands him a glass of water, Jaehwan holding around it while looking down at the table.

“What’s the news? I thought it was too dangerous for you to be back.”

“It is still very dangerous,” Hakyeon says, Kwangjo looking at him as if he first now realized he too is present. “But when it’s a time like this, it’s worth the risk. It might not matter in a few hours if someone sees us.”

“How come?”

“We might be leaving, to China today,” Jaehwan says, still not looking up.

Kwangjo takes a small step back, his hands falling down the sides of his body.

“Why?”

“It’s not safe for him to stay here. We have evidence that we can hope will make them re-investigate the case but we have doubts they will. Not for someone like Jaehwan, so in case not, we will leave for Chongqing tonight,” Hakyeon explains.

“It might be for the best anyway,” Kwangjo says with broken eyes. “You were never made for this kind of environment, this harsh life. You’ve done well, my boy. I am proud of you.”

Jaehwan and Kwangjo hug each other again, Kwangjo whispering something into his ear Hakyeon can’t hear.

“Please take good care of him,” Kwangjo says to Hakyeon as they let go of each other. Hakyeon nods, nothing more is going to happen to him, he will make sure of that. He checks his pocket watch while Jaehwan says goodbye to Kwangjo.

“We have to go now if we have to meet my sister at the back entrance to the zone. Let’s hope for some good news.”

“Yes, let’s hope so,” Kwangjo says, but even Hakyeon can hear that he knows they won’t receive good news. Hakyeon knows as well. The police are already determined and bribed to believe that Jaehwan is the cull-pit. No amount of evidence will make them change their minds.

They say their last goodbye.

Stepping outside of the bar, Hakyeon can see Jaehwan is fighting the tears in his eyes. He’s saying goodbye to a man who essentially helped him through a lot of pain, who helped him live a better life than what he would have. Hakyeon takes his hand, giving it a small squish, and Jaehwan smiles sadly at him. Just as much as Jaehwan hated being in the apartment alone, he hates having to move away from what he is familiar with. Hakyeon doesn’t like this huge of a change either, it’s gonna take a long time to get used to it. 

At least they have ensured a place to stay for a while, they won’t be living in the streets or in an apartment that is falling apart. He can ensure that the beginning of their life will be good, begin on a somewhat positive note. They reach the back entrance where it’s mainly trucks and other forms of transport vehicles going through, on their way to the factories. 

Haewon and Hayoon already stand at the entrance. Hakyeon waves to them, Hayoon waving back. Just the way they are standing, their enclosed body language, coats wrapped tightly around them and Haewon with her shoulders hunched up, he can tell that it did not go well. As he gets closer to see their facial expressions, he gets his confirmation. The heavy eyes and frowns. Haewon simply shakes her head as they reach them.

“They refused. Said it wouldn’t be worth investigating since they already have enough evidence that he is guilty.”

Jaehwan lets go of his hand sits down on a stone by the side of the road, moving his hands through his hair in frustration.

“The one time they take a case like this serious is when it’s a false accusation,” Hayoon says, cursing at the policemen.

“They aren’t taking it seriously. It’s Sunhee paying them to … Jaeho didn’t tell you anything as to why she did it?” Haewon asks.

“No, only that she wanted to ruin my relationship with Jaehwan for whatever reason.”

“I suggest you go and talk to her.”

“I am not gonna speak to the person who is currently ruining my life.”

“Maybe she will confess.”

“And risk ruining her image? As if. And even if I went and talked to her, what would I say?”

“Confront her and push her, to tell the truth. if she is cornered, she might be pressured to confess. If you get a confession from her, this whole thing will end. Use the information we have on her family’s factories.”

“You want me to blackmail her?”

“Do we have other options?”

“Hakyeon…”

He turns towards Hayoon who is crouching next to Jaehwan, a comforting hand on his shoulder while he is sitting on the stone, crying quietly. He goes over, sitting down on his knees, moving his hands in to cup Jaehwan’s face and slowly raise it.

“What’s wrong?” he asks in a soft tone, Jaehwan’s hand falling.

“I’m scared. I don’t want to leave but … I don’t want to go to prison either.”

“You won’t, we’ll make sure of that.”

“Jaehwan, the safest thing for you is to leave. And everything is under control, worst-case scenario, you two come to Japan and live at my apartment or in the house, we have near the mountains. We are going to make sure you and Hakyeon are alright.”

He nods, Hakyeon moving his thumb over his cheeks to dry them. 

“And you’re not alone, I will be by your side at all times, okay?”

He nods again. “Okay … what do we do now?”

Hakyeon sighs. “Haewon’s idea of going to Sunhee and confront her might not be as bad of an idea. It’s our last chance.”

“Then let’s hurry, the train is going to leave at 10 PM.”

His sisters stand up, and Hakyeon helps Jaehwan up, giving him a short kiss on his lips before taking his hand and walking out of the zone, for probably the last time. Hayoon is the one to drive them over to the Pai estate. It is right next to their parents’ estate. There is light inside of the house, and some of their vehicles are parked outside. Jaehwan looks up at the estate while Hakyeon leans forward to his sisters, handing them his apartment key.

“In case she says no, we have to be ready to leave. Key to my apartment, everything that is packed in the living room is coming with us, come straight back here, okay? Jaehwan, you go with them.”

“Why?” he asks.

“Sunhee is not gonna like it if she sees you and there is no place for you to hide there. If a security guard sees you ... “

He must have understood as he nods, gulping. Hakyeon nods, giving himself a few seconds before opening the door.

“We will be back as soon as possible, we will wait out here,” Haewon says.

He nods, already walking towards the main entrance. He knows this won’t be easy. He isn’t even sure where to start and where to begin. He has known Sunhee since she was young, why would she do this to him? He reaches the front door, knocking with the large metal hanger, a servant immediately coming over to open the door for him.

“Hello, I need to speak to Sunhee, is she available?” he asks, surprisingly calm.

“Yes, come inside.” The servant steps to the side, closing the door after he enters. He can feel the goosebumps starting to crawl everywhere. She signals him to wait on one of the seats, which he accepts, his legs already feeling weak. After a few minutes of waiting, Sunhee comes down the stairs, seemingly happy and smiling.

“What a pleasant surprise. What brings you here?”

“I wish to speak to you, hopefully not for long. I do not want to take too much of your time. Is there somewhere private we can speak?”

“Of course, the library would be best. Come,” she says, waving him after her. It’s been so long since he has been inside of their estate, he cannot remember where anything is anymore.

The library seems more like an office. Three bookshelves. It’s round with two seats and a coffee table to the side. Sunhee sits down at one of them, looking patiently at Hakyeon. He keeps standing by the door, trying to form words inside of his head. He doesn’t know where to begin. He closes his eyes for a moment, just to get a moment of peace.

“I know … I know Jaehwan did not rape you, I know that you lied and said he did when it was you who touched him, I know you made Jaeho distract me, and I know you did it to ruin my relationship and Jaehwan’s life.”

Her face has gone pale and her smile fell while he was speaking. She tilts her head, pouting her lips slightly.

“Hakyeon, I do not appreciate those kinds of accusations. You accusing me of lying, why would I ever do that?” she stands up, walking over to him. “I know this might be a harsh time for you, but so it is for me. I can’t even go to the club anymore without hearing the constant whispering of my name. Calling me dirty and much more. Please sit down, come on.”

She takes his hand and guides him over to sit down. She’s lying. He has to keep telling himself that. She sits him down, sitting down opposite of him, sitting at the edge of her seat.

“I did not know you were suffering so much, feeling so much pain that you would accuse me. I am hurt, I will not lie, but I understand. To be in love with someone who seems perfect only to realize they are not is horrible, and I am so sorry for you.”

“You’re lying,” he says.

She smiles sadly at him. “Hakyeon, why would I lie? Why would I try and ruin your relationship?” she asks, putting her hand out on top of his. 

“Stop lying.”

“I am not. You’re all tense and I don’t feel comfortable speaking to you when you are in this state of stress. Should I ask the servants to bring you a cup of tea?”

He shakes his head, looking down at her hand on top of his. Her thumb slowly moving over his knuckles. She reaches up to his face to softly run her fingers down his cheek.

“Poor Yeonie, I can’t imagine the trauma you are in. I heard your parents have not had contact with you since it happened. If you need any help, please do not hesitate to come to me, I would be more than pleased to give you anything.”

The way her fingers move down makes something inside of his head snap together. Putting the pieces together.

“You’re in love with me.” her smile disappears and her hand falls. “That’s why the wedding was probably also canceled. He realized you didn’t love him. You saw Jaehwan and me together on the blimp and got jealous, knew you would not have a chance, so you decided to break it up.”

She doesn’t say anything. She just stares at him, drawing her hand back and leaning away, still holding her posture perfect. Her shoulders are raising in synch with her breathing. Suddenly it all disappears and is replaced with a smile again.

“What a lively imagination, but I’ve had enough. I won’t sit here and be accused. Maybe it’s best if you leave, you can come back when you are better in your mind.”

“Did you know your factories are breaking over ten different laws?” he asks, stopping her from standing up. “Laws such as child labor, sexual harassment at the workplace, underpaid workers, lack of work quality and much more. Because I do, and I have evidence for it all. One trip to the ministry and all of your family’s factories will be closed.”

“Are you blackmailing me?”

“Same way Jaeho was blackmailing me. I might not have evidence for you lying about the accusations, but this is stone-hard proof.”

Her breathing becomes rapid again and even Hakyeon can feel his heartbeat increasing as they stare each other down. It’s deadly quiet in the library, it’s eerie.

“Why him?” she suddenly asks. “Why a poor factory worker of all the people you fall for? Ever since you and I danced at my engagement party I knew I wasn’t going to marry the right man. You never judged me, you were always good to me, why, just why could you not love me? Do you have any idea of how much power our families would have together? Both of our family’s factories produce a majority of the country’s products.”

“So you decided to ruin my relationship and an innocent man’s life?”

“I did not imagine it would go to this extent.”

Hakyeon stands up in a fury, shocking her as she falls back in the chair.

“You didn’t imagine this would happen? What did you think would happen? Did you just think I would end my relationship with him and immediately fall into your arms? What did you expect? That I would pity you enough to love you?”

She does not answer. Her fingers gripping on tightly on the armrest as she stares over at the wall, avoiding his eyes. He can feel the fury inside of him, the anger building up and burning to be released.

“Go to the police station and confess, tell the truth, or all the evidence against your family’s factories will be taken to the ministry.”

“You can’t do that,” she says, standing up. “Please, Hakyeon, this is going to ruin my family, please.”

He laughs a little. “Of all people you’re the one to say that considering how much you have ruined my family and Jaehwan’s life. This is the least you deserve after what you’ve done.”

He turns to leave but she grabs onto him, holding him back as she starts crying.

“Please, I beg you, you can’t do this.”

“When will you learn that your actions have consequences. Either you take the punishment that comes with confessing or you take this punishment. It’s your pick. Would you rather hurt your reputation or ruin your family’s wealth? I’m at least nice enough to give you a choice.”

She doesn’t say anything, just holding onto his sleeve as she cries. She can’t even choose. She knows that whatever she does, it will ruin her family’s reputation. But even Hakyeon would say that it is better than losing their wealth. He harshly pulls his arm back before leaving out the library, going back the same route he came in. She does not follow him, but he can hear her crying in the background, sobbing. She sounds hurt, broken and utterly destroyed. Yet, he does not feel sorry for her, as he leaves out the front door of the estate.


	27. The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Train ticket to China, the last goodbye

He slams the door after him, walking down the stairs and straight towards where he can see Hayoon is parked. He closes the door of the car, all three of them staring at him with a very concerned form of curiosity.

“What happened?” Haewon asks.

“She confessed, but she refuses to go to the police and take back the accusations. She did it because she wanted me.”

“She liked you?”

“Apparently. There went our last chance.”

“Wait, just a moment. Tell us everything, we still have some time before the train leaves.”

He retells the events that just happened to the best of his abilities, trying to recite the words that have been spoken. All three of them listening in closely. After he finishes, they are all speechless, a minute passing by of no one speaking.

“Wow, I never … imagined this would have happened. I don’t even remember you dancing with her at the proposal party,” Haewon says.

“I did near the end of the party. Her fiance had left to talk to some friends, Sunhee was alone so I danced with her. You might have gone back to the hotel at that point.”

“They were engaged for months, why didn’t she cancel immediately?”

“It sounded like she was also interested in how much she could get out of the influence. She probably realized how much influence our families would hold together, and since Hakyeon is the only son, it makes sense.”

“What a prestige bitch,” Hayoon says. 

“What time is it?” Haewon asks.

“It’s a bit past 9 PM.”

“Then we have to go now if we have to reach the train to Pyongyang.”

Hayoon starts driving, Hakyeon reaching over to take Jaehwan’s hand. He is quiet, awfully quiet. Their fingers laced together, Jaehwan giving his a squish as a confirmation that he is okay.

“I suggest we give her a week. A week to confess to the police and if she hasn’t by then, then we take the evidence to the ministry,” Haewon says.

“Why are you giving her a week? I would give her till tomorrow.”

“Hakyeon, you’re angry and frustrated right now, but you left her in shock. We need to give her some time to think about it, evaluate her actions. Who knows, maybe she turns around and goes to the station and Jaehwan can walk free again. We need to give her that time.”

He knows she is right. Even if he doesn’t want to admit it and just want to drive to the ministry and give it all in now. Punish her immediately for her actions. But, if there is the chance that she comes to her senses and decides to bite her pride, it’s a chance worth taking. Hayoon drives fast through the streets towards the train station. By tomorrow late morning, they will be out of Korea and in China, towards Beijing.

He doesn’t understand how Jaehwan isn’t angry, he would be furious. He is furious. Maybe that’s just him. Maybe he is too shocked to be angry. They arrive at the station and suddenly everything seems so real to him. He knew they would be leaving for China, to go to Chongqing and be criminals on the run, but now that they are here, it seems hard to accept. It has not hit him before now what they are about to do. He suddenly doesn’t want to step out of the car and accept the reality that is about to lay upon him.

He closes his eyes, imagining himself home in his apartment together with Jaehwan, living a peaceful life together, just the two of them, no fear of judgment, no fear of anything. Just peace. Jaehwan suddenly leans over to him, forcing him out of his thoughts.

“Hey, it’s okay, like you said, we are in this together. Okay?”

“Okay, let’s do this,” he says with a heavy sigh, going out of the vehicle. Hayoon and Haewon are already taking out their suitcases and packages, finding a trolly to carry it all on.

“Jaehwan said this was everything,” Hayoon says.

“Yes, looks to be it. When is the train leaving?”

“At 10 PM.”

“It’s … 9:40 PM, let’s hurry. Do you have all the papers and surveys we gathered?”

“I have it all in my office at home, locked away. No one is going to get it.”

The train station is empty this late in the evening, barely anyone is here. Most of the people have already gathered inside of the train they will be traveling in, all of them walking towards the correct platform where a large steam train is waiting, the conductor walking up and down the train.

Hakyeon and Jaehwan take the luggage, finding the cabin they ordered for themselves and placing all of their things in there. It is mainly Hakyeon’s things, a few of Jaehwan’s personal belongings from his old apartment. Stepping outside, the train roars, the engine slowly starting to heat up and ready to leave the station. 

“Now, here are the tickets and your passport and Jaehwan’s ID should be in your shoulder bag,” Haewon says, stepping forward. “And remember the platform names in Pyongyang and Beijing. Check the cabin before you leave, making sure you have everything, put the tickets a place where you know you can easily reach them and family Hu will be waiting at the East entrance. Remember, East.”

“Haewon, don’t worry. We have everything, we’ll be fine.”

She looks at him, her eyes droopy. She reaches out to hug him, holding on tight.

“Please be safe and call as often as you can. Keep us updated.”

“I’ll be safe, I promise. I have a little bit of time between the train in Beijing to Chongqing, I will call you there.”

“Also call when you reach Chongqing and family Hu has picked you up, okay?”

He nods just as Hayoon comes over to hug him as well, her eyes teary just as much as Haewon’s are.

“Our baby brother, already grown up so much … Joowon would have been proud of you.”

Suddenly he breaks into tears, clinging onto both Hayoon and Haewon. He feels like he is back to his fourteen-year-old self, desperately holding onto his sisters for any bit of support, any bit of guidance in such a cruel world. It is still a cruel world but now he will have to walk alone, without his sisters, without their guidance, without their calming words to soothe him. He cries into Haewon’s shoulder, wishing he didn’t have to let go. 

“It’s okay, everything is going to be okay,” Haewon whispers to him. “You will be alright. Contact us if something happens, we love you.”

He gets his breathing under control, finally stopping his sobbing. He lets go of them and steps away. The train roars again, it’s about to leave.

“I’ll miss you both,” he says.

“We’ll miss you too, good luck.”

“Take good care of him, Jaehwan,” Hayoon says, smiling through the sadness.

Jaehwan smiles, waiting by the entrance of the train, waiting for Hakyeon. Hakyeon takes one last breath, one last look at his sisters before stepping over to the train and going inside. Jaehwan takes his hand this time, guiding them over to the cabin, locking it as they enter. 

Hakyeon opens the window, just as he hears the engine start, waving goodbye to his sisters. He can see Haewon standing with an arm around Hayoon, both waving as the train slowly takes off. He doesn’t stop waving until they are out of sight. He sits back down, next to Jaehwan, slowly placing his head on his shoulder.

“It will be okay, right?”

“Yeah, everything will be okay.”

Their fingers laced together, they sit in the silence of the train going out of the city and into the fields, towards Pyongyang. He is clutching onto the pocket watch. The one his mother gave him many months ago, yet it feels like yesterday. When will he ever see them again? How will they react to him leaving? He sighs, looking out the window as they cross one of the bridges, watching Seoul pass them by, the factories, the large stone buildings, everything he once knew, he has to say goodbye to.

“I’ve never been to China before, never even left Korea. How is it there?” Jaehwan asks.

Hakyeon smiles but he can feel tears in his eyes, slowly welling up. “It’s pretty.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that was the end of the story. I truly hoped you enjoyed it and a huge thank you to all the people who have commented. Those have always kept me motivated and I probably would never have finished this. It's really weird having to say goodbye to this story but it had to end at some point, I will miss it but I do have other ideas I wanna work on. I hope I just justice with the ending, the original ending was a lot darker and gruesome but as I went on, even my cold little heart couldn't do that to Hakyeon and Jaehwan, so this is the ending I came up with instead. 
> 
> I am already planning a new fic which will have a release soon, and I hope you will be reading that as well. Again, thank you very much.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed the first chapter and is as excited to read as I am to write it. So thank you for reading, I appreciate ever kudos and comment, it helps to keep me motivated.
> 
> I'm always active on Twitter, where you can find me under @zeze_moonlight


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